IntroductionThe national animal of New Zealand is the kiwi, a funny little brown bird Endemic to NZ.
New Zealanders are known as kiwis, and New Zealand made products are often known as 'kiwi made,'
And have a symbol or picture of a kiwi as their trade mark.
Many shops have kiwi goods such as books, toys, postcards, mascots, and games.
DietKiwis eat bugs, grubs, earthworms, spiders, larvae, cicadas and a mixture of forest invertebrates; they may also catch small crayfish and frog’s fallen fruits and seeds
Kiwi looksSizes of kiwis vary among species, but females are larger. Brown kiwis measure from 35 - 40cm tall but the little spotted kiwi measures only 25cm.
Kiwis have excellent hearing; each ear opening is a large hole behind the eyes, covered by feathers.
Kiwis have small, black, beady, watery eyes, with poor daylight vision but can see well enough at nigh t to run extremely fast through dense under growth without tripping up.
The kiwi has large powerful legs and feet with tough scales and three clawed toes, used for digging burrows and fighting. Kiwis can inflict fatal wounds to other creatures. The hind toe is for balance.
Kiwi’s plumage appears very dense, shaggy and hairy but the base of each feather is broad, fluffy and soft a downy undercoat keeps them warm.
Albino (white) is sometimes seen.
All that is left of kiwis wings is tiny crooked stumps, ending in a long claw.
Habits and feedingKiwi’s are nocturnal and in the day males and females sleep in separate burrows dug by the kiwi, or shelters such as a gap between tree roots. These may be any of many scattered around their territory and may be connected.
Kiwis make a variety of noises, grunts whistles, squeals, chortles and mews. If disturbed they clack their bills and growl! The males also make Keeeeee WI wee noises which can be heard a long way away, sometimes even up to 3 kilometres.
Kiwis eat grubs, worms, larva and other ground dwelling bugs. They use their long slender bills to probe for food in the ground and leaf litter.
Breeding, mating, Chicks and Eggs Male and female kiwis can mate for life.
Males do a courtship dance to impress a female. This involves hopping, jumping and rolling while grunting. If she is not impressed she will run away or even chase him away!
Male kiwis may also fight over a mate.
About two weeks after fertilization the egg is laid in a specially dug burrow on a nest of dried leaves and grasses. Both male and female incubate the egg which hatches about 10 to 11 weeks after lying.
The chick is very well developed which may explain its huge size.
Chicks do not develop an egg tooth for hatching so they have to use their legs to kick their way out. This can take four days. The chick doesn't stand or feed for about 7 or 8 days but is nourished by the huge visible yolk sack in its belly.
After this it fends for itself. The parents will tolerate it until the next breeding season.
Until the kiwis are five or six years old kiwis are monomorphic, the same, after which the females become larger heavier and develop a longer bill.
Conservation and ThreatsMost of the kiwi’s enemies are introduced,
While cats, dogs, ferrets, stoat’s weasels and rats eat the Kiwis and their eggs, wild pigs, goats, possums, deer, and humans destroy their habitat.
They can also be caught in possum traps and killed or maimed.
Kiwis defend themselves by running away, kicking with their legs and freezing, using their camouflage.
Kiwis are being conserved by conservation programs, protected areas, and eradication of enemies, and breeding programs.
One operation, Operation Nest Egg, uses trained kiwi dogs to find eggs which they take and hatch in captivity. After hatching they are put in a ‘brooder’ which contains leaf litter, moist soil and artificial burrows. Chicks are fed on a mixture of minced ox heart, vegetables, rolled oats, oil, vitamins and minerals.
They naturally begin to forage after about a week and are released after about a month.
Interesting Kiwi facts:Kiwis are Flightless, having only tiny stumps for wings
They lay the biggest egg in proportion to body size-20-25% of their body weight (poor female!).
The male incubates the egg.
Their nostrils are situated at the tip pf their long curved beaks, they have a keen sense of smell and can sniff out a worm 3 cm underground.
Sometimes they can be heard sniffing!
When startled they run off wit their bolls in the air, sniffing to see if they are being perused.
They also have a good sense of hearing
They can live up to 40 years.
They have whiskers, which are used to find their way around in the dark-like a cat, and may also be used to protect their eyes
Websites!
http://www.chemistry.co.nz/kiwibird.htmhttp://www.savethekiwi.org.nz/Home/http://www.kcc.org.nz/birds/kiwi.aspSheba
are definitely cute warriorcat*ndog XD
