Hear be kiwis: New Zealand celebrates as distinctive cry of iconic bird returns

Kiwi watchers have recorded the sound of the bird's song at many sites that were silent just five years ago

It's a frigid, early-winter night, and across the forests and farmlands of Northland, people are crouching in the dark. They've timed this night for the waning moon, so moonlight doesn't disturb any visitors. Scattered through the night, they sit, silently, and listen.

The sound they're all hoping for is a high-pitched, piercing cry, or guttural croak - a sign that Aotearoa's threatened, iconic kiwi has returned to patches of forests that had fallen silent.