60 Fun Facts About Kiwi Bird


Kiwi Bird

60 Fun Facts About Kiwi Bird

  1. Their wings are so small that they more closely resemble tiny feathers.
  2. Kiwi are omnivores. Discover what foods they find with their unusual beak.
  3. Even though kiwi are unusual enough, tall stories abound about the bird.
  4. Kiwis have a strong, musty smell. Predators can smell them from faraway.
  5. Kiwis have brown feathers to blend into the ground.
  6. Kiwis have small eyes and also a small field of vision.
  7. The Maori have strong cultural and spiritual associations with kiwis.
  8. They rely little on sight and more on other senses to survive.
  9. A kiwis bill is long and very sensitive to the touch, and their gizzard is weak.
  10. Kiwis are a national icon in New Zealand and are a symbol of the unique animals and wildlife that can be found there.
  11. Most kiwi are nocturnal birds, like many of New Zealand’s native animals. Their calls pierce the forest air at dusk and dawn.
  12. As a result, there are many sanctuaries (five in New Zealand) set up to protect and preserve kiwis, as well as ones on the Australian mainland.
  13. Kiwis typically look for a mate that they will stay with for the rest of their lives; therefore, they are monogamous birds.
  14. Kiwi relationships can last up to twenty (20) years!
  15. They lay enormous eggs relative to their small size which places a lot of stress on the body of the kiwi; the mother has to eat at least double, or three-times her normal amount of food.
  16. The kiwi diet is omnivorous; because they live in diverse habitats, they can eat a wide range of foods including worms, berries, seeds, and sometimes even fungi and crayfish.
  17. Kiwis are birds that are found in New Zealand, that cannot fly.
  18. They belong to a group of flightless birds known as ratites but are much smaller and shorter-legged than the other birds in the group.
  19. Their feathers have been so accustomed to life on the ground that they have a hair-like texture and appearance with bushy coats to help camouflage them from predators in the sky.
  20. Kiwis have highly developed senses, with nostrils at the end of their beaks (the only birds with this feature!) and sensory pits that allow them to sense their prey underground.
  21. Although there is some debate about the origins of the word “kiwi”, the genus name “Apteryx” is derived from the Ancient Greek language, meaning “without wing”.
  22. Approximately 20% of the kiwi population is under management.
  23. In areas under where predators are controlled, 50-60% of chicks survive. When areas are not under management 95% of kiwi die before reaching breeding age.
  24. Only 20% survival rate of kiwi chicks is needed for the population to increase.
  25. Proof of success – on the Coromandel, in the predator controlled area, the kiwi population is doubling every decade.
  26. Kiwi are flightless – their Latin species name is Apteryx, which means wingless. They belong to an ancient group of birds that can’t fly – the ratites. Because they can’t fly, how they arrived in New Zealand is not completely clear.
  27. Kiwis prefer subtropical and temperate forests, but some can also be found in cooler habitats and even in higher altitudes in mountains.
  28. Survival rates for kiwis are not great – only about 5-10% of kiwi chicks survive into adulthood without any help or management.
  29. When a kiwi drinks, they immerse their beak, tip their head back, and gurgle the water down.
  30. The kiwi is a flagship species for conservation with over 90 groups in New Zealand actively working to protect kiwi birds.
  31.  An average of 27 kiwi are killed by predators EVERY WEEK. That’s a population decline of around 1,400 kiwi every year (or 2%). At this rate, kiwi may disappear from the mainland in our lifetime. Just one hundred years ago, kiwi numbered in the millions.
  32. A single roaming dog can wipe out an entire kiwi population in a matter of days
  33. Kiwi habits and physical characteristics are so like a mammal the bird is sometimes referred to as an honorary mammal. It has feathers like hair, nostrils at the end of its beak and an enormous egg.
  34. These small birds are nocturnal. They sleep in burrows under the ground or old logs during the day.
  35. Kiwis are about the size of a chicken. They lay huge eggs, though. The eggs can weigh 1 pound each!
  36. Both males and females sit on the eggs. When the chicks hatch, they can hunt for their own food.
  37. According to DNA studies, the kiwi bird’s closest relative is the elephant bird (seen to the right) of Madagascar, which has been extinct since about 1000-1200 CE, likely due tohuman activity.
  38. Before the arrival of humans in New Zealand beginning in the 13th century, there weren’t many endemic mammals (only bats) and a variety of birds, including the kiwi.
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