10 Amazing Bird Facts (Kiwi)

Kiwi is the smallest bird of the non-flying family of birds called ratites, which includes ostriches, emu, rheas and extinct Moa. Kiwis can only be found in the New Zealand. They can be found in different types of habitats: scrubland, farmland, swamps, pine forest and vegetated gullies. There are 5 kiwi species, Brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli), Rowi (Apteryx rowi), Tokoeka (Apteryx australis), Great spotted kiwi/roroa (Apteryx haastii), and Little spotted kiwi (Apteryx owenii).

Fast Facts about Kiwi

1. Kiwis have tiny wings, but cannot fly.

2. Unlike other birds, kiwis have long beak that ends with external nostrils. They have excellent sense of smell.

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3. Kiwi birds are among the few species that tend to live as monogamous couples, that is they have only one mate at a time. Kiwi partnerships have been known to last longer than 20 years.

4. 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.

5. The eye sockets of most birds are separated by a plate, but in kiwi they are divided by large nasal cavities – just like most mammals.

6. Unlike most birds, which have one ovary, a female kiwi has two – like a mammal. If she produces more than one egg in a clutch, ovulation occurs in alternate ovaries.

7. Kiwis are nocturnal, which means that they come out of their burrows after nightfall to forage for insects, grubs, earthworms, fallen fruit and native plants.

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8. Kiwi has poor eyesight. It can see six feet in front of itself during the night and only two feet during the day. While most birds depend on sight, the kiwi relies on a highly developed sense of smell and touch.

9. The chick emerges from its enormous egg as a mini adult, fully feathered and able to feed itself – which is very unusual for a bird.

10. Females are larger than males (up to 3.3 kg and 45 cm). Kiwis are long-lived, and depending on the species, live for between 25 and 50 years.