Queenstown's new kiwi chick was "ticking along nicely" yesterday after being hatched on Saturday.
The brown kiwi was busying itself sleeping and yesterday morning weighed in at 231g. On hatching it weighed 260g but dropped to 237g on Sunday morning, Queenstown Kiwi Birdlife Park senior keeper Nicole Kunzmann said.
The chick would continue to lose weight until the internal egg yolk it had consumed was fully digested, but it was hoped handlers would be able to introduce feeding by the end of the week.
Ms Kunzmann said feathers would be sent away for genetic testing in the next couple of weeks to ascertain the kiwi's sex, but it was likely the chick would be named before then.
"Paul [Wilson], our director, started the park with his dad 25 years ago.
"His dad passed away last year, so we'd like to dedicate the chick to Richard - not name it outright after him, but we're looking at Maori words for 'memory' or 'loved one' as a tribute to Richard," Ms Kunzmann said.
