After more than 150 years, the first kiwi chicks have been born in the wild in New Zealand

(Patria) - Conservationists in New Zealand today celebrated the arrival of kiwi chicks in the wild near Wellington after more than a century.

The fluffy, flightless bird with a long beak is a beloved national symbol, but few New Zealanders have seen one in the wild.

It is one of the most vulnerable and endangered birds in New Zealand.

The Department of Conservation estimates that only about 26,000 brown kiwis remain in the wild.

Last year, the Capital Kiwi Project released several dozen adult birds into the wild near Wellington in the hope that their population could be restored in the area.

Recently, activists discovered four new chicks. They believe these are the first chicks to hatch in the hills near Wellington in more than 150 years.

"This is a very special moment for the team that has worked hard over the past few years," project leader Paul Ward told AFP.

He added that the kiwi chicks are a "huge milestone in the project to restore the wild kiwi population near Wellington".

"Our goal is for the young kiwis to reach a weight of 800 grams, so they are large enough to defend themselves against stoats, their natural predators. We will leave them some more worms for Christmas to gain weight quickly," Ward said jokingly.

An adult kiwi weighs about three kilograms.

Ward hopes that the fluffy kiwis that have recently hatched are just the beginning.

"We are only monitoring a quarter of the 63 adult birds released into the wild, so there could be more chicks out there," Ward added, reports Hina.