Kiwis

The Flightless Bird

By Isaac Strauss

Did you know the word “kiwi” can refer to three different things? It can mean the fruit, the people of New Zealand, or the flightless bird. And when it comes to kiwi birds, there are actually five different species: the lesser spotted kiwi, the greater spotted kiwi, the brown kiwi, rowi, and the tokoeka. New Zealand is the only home to kiwi birds.

Kiwis are arguably the weirdest birds. They technically have the shortest beaks of ALL birds. This is because they measure from tip of the beak to nostril and the kiwi is the only bird with nostrils at the tip of its beak. The kiwi birds are nocturnal flightless birds. Since kiwis are flightless they have developed very powerful legs instead. They are related to ostriches and emus despite their huge size differences. Kiwis actually have wings but they’re way too small to allow the kiwi to fly. Their eggs are almost as big as the birds themselves.

Kiwis are a protected species in New Zealand. People are not allowed to touch or collect their feathers. The kiwi bird is endangered, because of animals that were brought to New Zealand that are not native species. These include stoats, dogs, cats, pigs, and other introduced predators. These animals eat the kiwi’s eggs, destroy their habitat, and sometimes prey on kiwi birds or their young. This is one of the reasons why they are a protected species. All five types of kiwis are endangered and protected.

We visited the National Kiwi Hatchery where they hatch and care for brown kiwis. The hatchery is trying to save the kiwis. Kiwis when hatched in the hatchery have a much higher chance of making it to adulthood then they do in the wild, because of the care that they give them and because they release them when they are large enough to protect themselves from predators.

We taught you about the different types of kiwis, kiwi bird’s beaks, their strong legs, their predators, the size of their eggs, why they are so weird, and how Kiwi people are trying to save them. Now that you know about kiwis why don't you share this information with your friends.

Personal Note:

Our time in New Zealand was amazing! Milford Sound was beautiful, but far away. We also visited Christchurch, Queenstown, Auckland and Lake Tekapo. They were all lovely. A highlight for me was the kiwi hatchery. I just love kiwis. Maybe you could go to New Zealand someday.