Manukura (kiwi)

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 Pūkaha 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]

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". NZ 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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