The rowi — Apteryx rowi — is the rarest of New Zealand's five kiwi species, with wild population estimates hovering around 600 individuals concentrated almost entirely in the Ōkārito forest on the South Island's West Coast. Its survival depends substantially on Operation Nest Egg, a programme in which eggs are removed from nests, hatched in captivity, and chicks raised until large enough to survive stoat predation before release.
This is the third monarch to appear on New Zealand's Kiwi bullion series since its 2014 inception.
The rowi — Apteryx rowi — is the rarest of New Zealand's five kiwi species, with wild population estimates hovering around 600 individuals concentrated almost entirely in the Ōkārito forest on the South Island's West Coast. Its survival depends substantially on Operation Nest Egg, a programme in which eggs are removed from nests, hatched in captivity, and chicks raised until large enough to survive stoat predation before release.
This is the third monarch to appear on New Zealand's Kiwi bullion series since its 2014 inception.