The drought in Northland is taking a heavy toll on kiwi and kereru in the region, says the Whangarei Native Bird Recovery Centre.
Kiwi chicks have been venturing into paddocks during the daytime because they're desperate for food and water.
A centre spokesperson, Robert Webb, says the ground is now so hard that kiwi can't get their beaks in to forage.
Many kiwi have been brought into the recovery centre, dehydrated and underweight.
Kereru and kiwi have started turning up at houses in the Kerikeri area, looking for water and food from back door pet dishes.
Mr Webb says residents are trying to help by taking shallow pans of water and corn kernels up to the bushline in the evening.