Template:Featured article/Southern brown kiwi
Tokoeka are the largest of the kiwi, with males weighing up to 3.3 kg and females up to 4.2 kg. They have soft, brown feathers streaked with black and reddish brown, long pale bills, short legs and toes, and no tail. They are nocturnal, except on Stewart Island where they sometimes forage during the day. They have a keen sense of smell and use their bills to probe the ground for invertebrates, such as worms, beetles, cicadas and moths. They also eat some fallen fruit and leaves.
Tokoeka have distinctive calls that they use to communicate with their mates and to mark their territories. The male gives a high-pitched ascending whistle repeated 15-25 times, while the female gives a lower-pitched hoarse cry repeated 10-20 times.