Manukura (1 May 2011 – 27 December 2020), a North Island brown kiwi, was the first pure white kiwi born in captivity.[1] After Manukura's hatching, two additional white birds were also born in captivity.[2]

Manukura was born in the Pukaha / Mount Bruce National Wildlife Centre. The bird was born in May 2011 with a rare genetic condition that made it all white, instead of brown.[3]

She was named by Rangitāne leader, Mike Kawana; her name is the Māori word for "chiefly status."[4]

Manukura was believed to be a male for the first year of life, but then caretakers discovered she was a female bird.[5] In 2014, Manukura was caught on film engaging in a noisy mating ritual which involved her "beating" her male partner.[6]

She died in December 2020 after having surgery to remove her ovaries and an unfertilised egg that she struggled to pass naturally.[7]

Legacy

Author Joy Cowley wrote a children's book, illustrated by Bruce Potter, about Manukura in 2012.[8] Toy manufacturers and New Zealand museums created plush replicas of the rare bird over the years.[9][10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Rhea Mogul. "The only white kiwi bird ever born in captivity has died after surgery". CNN. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  2. ↑ "World's first pure white kiwi hatched in captivity, Manukura, has died". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  3. ↑ "Manukura the rare white kiwi dies after surgery in New Zealand". the Guardian. 28 December 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  4. ↑ "Precious white kiwi 'Manukura' dies". Māori Television. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  5. ↑ "Rare white kiwi Manukura that inspired book and toys dies". BBC News. 28 December 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  6. ↑ "White kiwi's unusual mating ritual". Stuff. 22 October 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  7. ↑ "Wildlife centre mourns death of Manukura, the first white kiwi hatched in captivity". TVNZ. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  8. ↑ "Manukura: The White Kiwi by Joy Cowley". RNZ. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  9. ↑ "15cm Manukura White Kiwi Soft Toy". Museums Wellington. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  10. ↑ "Manukura, the rare white kiwi bird who inspired toys and children's book, dies". Time24 News. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
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