Baby kiwi progressing well after undergoing surgery to fix its crooked beak

A baby kiwi in New Zealand has undergone two rounds of surgery to fix its crooked beak. The 594-gram chick that is yet to be named was born in October with a misaligned bill.



It was a complicated birth, with the kiwi undergoing an assisted hatch after staff at Queenstown’s Kiwi Birdlife Park realised it wouldn’t be able to kick free of its shell because it had its foot caught over its head, similar to a breach birth for humans. Once born, it became apparent the chick’s misaligned beak would hinder feeding and inhibit its ability to survive and grow.



Massey University in Palmerston North suggested fixing the beak with a new technique being developed by veterinary surgeons at its Wildbase hospital. Wildbase director Brett Gartrell said the team performed corrective surgery on the tip of the little kiwi’s bill with great results.



He said it was difficult to bring back the bill into proper alignment as the tip of the lower bill had deviated sidewards like the end of a hockey stick and begun to curl upwards. The operations were particularly delicate as surgeons wanted to avoid damage to the sensitive blood and nerve supply that kiwis need to be able to sense food at the end of their bills. “We’re very happy with this little chick’s progress,” said Gartrell. The chick will be released into the wild once she reaches 1kg.