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Wilmington, North Carolina once had a thriving Black middle class and an elected interracial government. In 1898 white supremacists used violence to overthrow that government, kill Black residents and drive many others from the city.
MORE →Reflects the personal views, recollections, and perspective of the author, Mike Davis.
This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
| Great spotted kiwi | |
|---|---|
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| An illustration of a female | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Infraclass: | Palaeognathae |
| Order: | Apterygiformes |
| Family: | Apterygidae |
| Genus: | Apteryx |
| Species: | A. maxima
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| Binomial name | |
| Apteryx maxima | |
| |
| Range of the great spotted kiwi | |
| Synonyms | |
The great spotted kiwi, great grey kiwi[3] or roroa (Apteryx maxima)[2][4] is a species of kiwi endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. The great spotted kiwi, as a member of the ratites, is flightless. It is the largest of the kiwi. The rugged topography and harsh climate of the high altitude alpine part of its habitat render it inhospitable to a number of introduced mammalian predators, which include dogs, ferrets, cats, and stoats. Because of this, populations of this species have been less seriously affected by the predations of these invasive species compared to other kiwi. Nonetheless, there has been a 43% decline in population in the past 45 years due to these predators and habitat destruction. This has led it to be classified as vulnerable.[1] There are fewer than 16,000 great spotted kiwis in total, almost all in the more mountainous parts of northwest Nelson, the northwest coast, and the Southern Alps. A minority live on island reserves.
This kiwi is highly aggressive, and pairs will defend their large territories against other kiwi.[3] Great spotted kiwi are nocturnal, and will sleep during the day in burrows. At night, they feed on invertebrates and will also eat plants. Great spotted kiwi breed between June and March. The egg is the largest of all birds in proportion to the size of the bird. Chicks take 75 to 85 days to hatch, and after hatching, they are abandoned by their parents.
This large kiwi is one of five species of kiwis residing in New Zealand. The other four are the tokoeka (Apteryx australis), Okarito brown kiwi (Apteryx rowi), little spotted kiwi (Apteryx owenii),[5] and North Island brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli).[6] Great spotted kiwis are most closely related to the little spotted kiwi.[7] The kiwi genus, Apteryx, is endemic to New Zealand; 44% of the bird species native to New Zealand are endemic.[5]
Kiwi are placed in the ratite family, which also includes the emu, ostrich, rhea,[8] and cassowary, as well as the extinct moa of New Zealand and elephant birds of Madagascar. All ratites are flightless.[9] While it was long presumed that kiwi were closely related to moa, recent DNA research identified elephant birds as kiwi's closest relatives. Additionally, kiwi are more closely related to emus and cassowaries than to moa; the latter are actually closest to the weakly flying tinamous of South America.[10]
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Relationships in the genus Apteryx[7]
Before the great spotted kiwi was known to science, several stories circulated about the existence of a large kiwi called the Maori roaroa.[11] In 1871, two specimens were brought to the Canterbury Museum, where they were identified as a new species and were named after the museum's curator, Dr. Haast.[12][11]
The great spotted kiwi was first described as Apteryx haastii by Thomas Potts, in 1872, based on a specimen from Westland, New Zealand,[3] and changed to the resurrected A. maxima Sclater & Hochstetter 1861 in 2024.[2] The genus is monotypic.[13]
The genus name, Apteryx, comes from the Ancient Greek words a "without" or "no", and pteryx, "wing" and maxima is derived from the Latin word maximus, meaning "largest" or "greatest".
Great spotted kiwis are among the largest of the kiwis;[7][14] the male is 45 cm (18 in) tall, while the female is 50 cm (20 in) tall. Bill length ranges from 9 to 12 cm (3.5–4.7 in),[15] while weight ranges between 1.2 and 2.6 kg (2.6 and 5.7 lb) for males and 1.5 and 3.3 kg (3.3 and 7.3 lb) for females.[3] The body is pear-shaped, while the head and neck is small with a long slender ivory bill.[15][16] The great spotted kiwi, along with the other kiwi species, is the only bird with nostrils at the end of its bill.[17] The eyes are small and do not see well,[18] as it relies mostly on its sense of smell.[19] The legs are short, with three toes per foot.[18] It has a plumage composed of soft, hair-like feathers, which have no aftershafts. The plumage can range from charcoal grey to light brown.[15] They have large vibrissae around the gape, and they have no tail, only a small pygostyle.[3] The common name of this bird comes from black spots on its feathers.[18] They use their powerful legs and claws for defence against predators like stoats or ferrets. Kiwis are flightless birds, and hence lack hollow bones, lack a keel to which wing muscles anchor, and have tiny wings.[15] This species also has a low body temperature compared to other birds. Average lifespan is 30 to 40 years.[20]
Greater spotted kiwis once lived in numerous areas throughout the South Island, but because of predation by invasive species, the remaining kiwi are now restricted to three localities.[21] These kiwi live in higher altitude areas. Populations are present from northwestern Nelson to the Buller River, the northwest coast (Hurunui River to Arthur's Pass), and the Paparoa Range,[1] as well as within the Lake Rotoiti Mainland Island.[22][23] The Southern Alps population is particularly isolated.[22] Great spotted kiwis reside in complex, maze-like burrows that they construct.[24] Up to fifty burrows can exist in one bird's territory.[25] They will often move around, staying in a different burrow every day.[19] Bird's Nest Fungus sometimes grows in these burrows.[26] Their habitat ranges in elevation from sea level to 1,500 m (4,900 ft), but the majority are concentrated in a range from 700 to 1,100 m (2,300–3,600 ft) in a subalpine zone. These kiwis will live in tussock grasslands, scrubland, pasture, and forests.[1]
The great spotted kiwi is nocturnal in behaviour.[18] If the kiwis live in an area lacking predators, they will come out in the day. At night, they come out to feed. Like other species of kiwi, they have a good sense of smell, which is unusual in birds.[15] Males are fiercely territorial.[22] At most, four to five kiwis live in a square kilometre.[26] One pair's territory can be 25 hectares (62 acres) in size. It is not known how they defend such a large territory in proportion to their size.[19] They will call, chase, or fight intruders out. Vocalisations of the great spotted kiwi include growls, hisses, and bill snapping.[26] Great spotted kiwi males have a call that resembles a warbling whistle, while the female call is harsh raspy, and also warbling.[16][25]
| Location | Population | Date | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buller River to Nelson | Unknown | Declining | |
| Paparoa Range | Unknown | Declining | |
| Arthur's Pass National Park | Unknown | Declining | |
| Nelson Lakes National Park | Unknown | 2007 | Introduced |
| Total (South Island, New Zealand) | 16,000 | 2008 | Declining -2% yr |
Great spotted kiwis are monogamous,[19] with pairings sometimes lasting twenty years. Nests are made in burrows. The breeding season begins in June and ends in March, as this is when food is plentiful. Males reach sexual maturity at 18 months in captivity, while females are able to lay eggs after three years. In the wild, sexual maturity for both sexes is between ages three and five. Great spotted kiwi males chase females around until the females either run off or mate. The pair mates about two to three times during peak activity.[28] The gestation period is about a month. Females do not eat during this period, as the eggs will take up a fourth of a kiwi's body mass.[19] The kiwi egg is among the largest in proportion to the body of any bird, measuring 12–13 cm (4.7–5.1 in) in length and 6.9–8.5 cm (2.7–3.3 in) width and weighing 400–470 g (0.88–1.04 lb).[29] The yolk takes up 65% of the egg, compared with 35 to 40% in most birds.[28] Females must rely on fat stored from the previous five months to survive. Because of the large size of the egg, gestation is uncomfortable for the female, and they do not move much. To relieve the pain, females soak themselves in water when they come out of the burrows by dipping their abdomens into puddles.[19] The egg-laying season is between August and January.[30]
After the female lays the egg, the male incubates the egg while the female guards the nest. Males only leave the nest for a few hours to hunt, and during this time, the female takes over. It takes 75 to 85 days for the egg to hatch. The kiwi chick takes 2 to 3 days simply to get out of its egg. Kiwi chicks are superprecocial, and are abandoned by their parents after hatching. After ten days, chicks venture out of the burrow to hunt. Most chicks are killed by predators in the first six months of their life. Great spotted kiwis reach full size at year six. Unlike most birds, female great spotted kiwis have two ovaries. Most birds have only one. Great spotted kiwis are distinguishable from other kiwi species by the fact that they can only produce one egg a year, as it takes so much energy to produce the massive egg.[19]
In the ground, they dig for earthworms and grubs,[18] and they search for beetles, cicada, crickets, flies, wētā, butterflies, moths, spiders, caterpillars, slugs and snails on the ground.[25][31] They will also feed on berries and seeds.[18] To find prey, the great spotted kiwi use their scenting skills or feel vibrations caused by the movement of their prey.[25] To do the latter, a kiwi would stick its beak into the ground,[19] then use its beak to dig into the ground.[18] As they are nocturnal, they do not emerge until thirty minutes after sunset to begin the hunt.[19] Kiwis will also swallow small stones, which aid in digestion.[32]
Because adult great spotted kiwis are large and powerful, they are able to fend off most predators that attack them, such as stoats, ferrets, weasels, pigs, brush possums and cats, all of which are invasive species in New Zealand. However, dogs are able to kill even adults.[16] Stoats, ferrets, possums, cats and dogs will feed on the eggs and chicks, meaning most chicks die within their first five months of life.[25][27] Before the arrival of mammalian predators, the great spotted kiwi's natural predators would have been birds of prey like the extinct Haast's eagle and Eyles' harrier and the extant Swamp harrier.[26]
The great spotted kiwi is the sole host of a species of feather mite, Kiwialges haastii, described in 1985.[33]
The great spotted kiwi population started declining when European settlers first arrived in New Zealand.[1] Before settlers arrived, about 12 million great spotted kiwis lived in New Zealand.[19] This bird is often preyed upon by invasive pigs, dogs, ferrets and stoats, leading to a 5% chick survival rate.[25] It has more of an advantage than other kiwi species over these predators because it lives in high altitude areas, where the wet upland population thrives.[22] However, there has been a decrease in population of 43% in the past 45 years,[1] and a decrease of 90% since 1900.[34] Humans have also endangered the species by destroying their habitat by logging forests and building mines.[26][35]
Previously, humans hunted these kiwis for feathers and food.[18] In 1988, the species was listed as Least Concern species. It is currently classified by the IUCN as a vulnerable species. This kiwi has an occurrence range of 8,500 km2 (3,300 sq mi), and in 2000 an estimated 22,000 adult birds remained. They have been trending down about 5.8% a year.[16] The main threat is from invasive predators including mustelids, brush-tailed possum Trichosurus vulpecula, feral cats, dogs and pigs[1][16] The most threatened populations are in the southern areas of the species' range.[22] Fewer than 16,000 great spotted kiwis remain.[34] Movements for saving the kiwi are in place, and sanctuaries for the great spotted kiwi have been made.[by whom?][26] Thanks to intensive trapping and poisoning efforts, the chick survival rate has been raised to about 60% in areas where mammalian pest control is undertaken.[19]
| Authority control databases: National |
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Source: Wikipedia. Article content is retrieved live through the MediaWiki API.
The great spotted kiwi, great grey kiwi or roroa (Apteryx maxima) is a species of kiwi endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. The great spotted kiwi, as a member of the ratites, is flightless. It is the largest of the kiwi. The rugged topography and harsh climate of the high altitude alpine part of its habitat render it inhospitable to a number of introduced mammalian predators, which include dogs, ferrets, cats, and stoats. Because of this, populations of this species have been less seriously affected by the predations of these invasive species compared to other kiwi. Nonetheless, there has been a 43% decline in population in the past 45 years due to these predators and habitat destruction. This has led it to be classified as vulnerable. There are fewer than 16,000 great spotted kiwis in total, almost all in the more mountainous parts of northwest Nelson, the northwest coast, and the Southern Alps. A minority live on island reserves. This kiwi is highly aggressive, and pairs will defend their large territories against other kiwi. Great spotted kiwi are nocturnal, and will sleep during the day in burrows. At night, they feed on invertebrates and will also eat plants. Great spotted kiwi breed between June and March. The egg is the largest of all birds in proportion to the size of the bird. Chicks take 75 to 85 days to hatch, and after hatching, they are abandoned by their parents.
Kiwi are flightless birds endemic to New Zealand of the order Apterygiformes. The five extant species fall into the family Apterygidae and genus Apteryx. Approximately the size of a domestic chicken, kiwi are the smallest ratites (which also include ostriches, emus, rheas, cassowaries and the extinct elephant birds and moa). DNA sequence comparisons have yielded the conclusion that kiwi are much more closely related to the extinct Malagasy elephant birds than to the moa with which they shared New Zealand. There are five recognised species, four of which are currently listed as vulnerable, and one of which is near threatened. All species have been negatively affected by historic deforestation, but their remaining habitat is well protected in large forest reserves and national parks. At present, the greatest threat to their survival is predation by invasive mammalian predators. The vestigial wings are so small as to be invisible under their bristly, hair-like, two-branched feathers. Kiwi eggs are one of the largest in proportion to body size (up to 20% of the female's weight) of any order of bird in the world. Other unique adaptations of kiwi, such as short and stout legs and using their nostrils at the end of their long beak to detect prey before they see it, have helped the bird to become internationally well known. The kiwi is recognised as an icon of New Zealand, and the association is so strong that the term Kiwi is used internationally as the colloquial demonym for New Zealanders.
About 216 species of birds have become extinct since 1500, with increasing extinction rates due to human-caused influences such as habitat loss, the introduction of invasive species, and climate change. Currently there are approximately 10,000 living species of birds, with over 1,480 at risk of extinction and 223 critically endangered. Island species in general, and flightless island species in particular, are most at risk. The situation is exemplified by Hawaii, where 30% of all known recently extinct bird taxa originally lived, and Guam, which lost over 60% of its native bird taxa in the decades following the introduction of the brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis). The disproportionate number of extinctions in rails reflects the tendency of that family to lose the ability to fly when geographically isolated. Even more rails became extinct before they could be described by scientists. The extinction dates given below are usually the dates of the last verified record (credible observation or specimen taken), which are approximations of the actual date of extinction. For many Pacific birds that became extinct shortly after European colonization, however, this leaves an uncertainty period of over 100 years, because the islands on which they lived were only rarely visited by scientists. In certain unusual cases, it is possible to pinpoint the date of extinction to a specific year or even day; the San Benedicto rock wren represents an extreme example where its extinction could be timed with an accuracy of maybe half an hour coinciding with the eruption of Bárcena. The year 1500 serves as one common threshold of the "modern" era in which species are described scientifically, extinctions are monitored, and globalization has led to increased pressure on species. Taxa which became extinct pre-1500 are listed in List of Late Quaternary prehistoric bird species; prominent examples include the elephant birds (Aepyornis) and moa.
Arthur's Pass National Park is located in the South Island of New Zealand and covers 1,185 km2 of mostly mountainous terrain. Adjacent to it lies Craigieburn Forest Park. The park is administered by the Department of Conservation.
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
MORE →Madam C.J. Walker
