Meet the kiwi, one of the oddest birds in the world
New Zealanders are known the world over as Kiwis, but how much do you know about our namesake … which is also one of the most unusual birds in the animal kingdom?
There are five species of kiwi
That’s right: not all kiwi are created equal.
The kiwi pukupuku/little spotted kiwi only lives on offshore islands or in sanctuaries like Kapiti Island and Zealandia.
The roroa/great spotted kiwi only live in three distinct locations in the South Island: northwest Nelson, the Paparoa Range, and near Arthur’s Pass.
Rowi are the rarest species of kiwi, numbering at just 500ish. Most rowi live within the Okarito kiwi sanctuary in the South Island.
Then there’s the tokoeka which lives in the south of the South Island.
Finally, the North Island brown kiwi lives in, you guessed it, the North Island. Just to make things even more confusing, there are four different taxa or types of North Island brown kiwi based on where they live: Northland, Coromandel, Western and Eastern.
Daytime nappers
Kiwi are nocturnal which means they sleep during the day and come out at night. However, on Rakiura/Stewart Island, kiwi do come out during the day, presumably because daytime hours are longer during summer the closer you get to the South Pole.
They don’t fly … but they do have wings
Despite being flightless, kiwi have tiny vestigial/remnant wings that are essentially useless. When a kiwi gets excited, you might see its little wing stick out from under its feathers.
Ginormous eggs
Kiwi lay one of the largest eggs in relation to the rest of its body, in the bird world. If you were to compare them to humans, it would be like giving birth to a four-year-old (ouch!). A fully developed kiwi egg takes up 20% of the female kiwi’s body. In the last month of gestation, a female kiwi can’t eat anything because there’s no more room in her body.
Multiple births
The female brown kiwi can produce two eggs in one clutch. In a typical kiwi laying season there are two clutches, so a female brown kiwi has the potential to lay four eggs every year. It’s not common but some kiwi have been known to lay three eggs in one clutch, and in some cases three clutches a season. In fact, some kiwi in Northland breed all year round with up to four clutches!
Odd shnoz
The kiwi is the only bird in the world with external nostrils at the tip of its long beak (which is also one of the longest in the bird world). Kiwi are often heard sniffling and snuffling as they try to get dirt out of their nostrils.
Working mums
With brown kiwi, the female lays the egg then the male sits on it to incubate it.
Mini adults
Kiwi chicks hatch as mini versions of their parents (fully feathered and able to feed themselves) which is uncommon in the bird world.
Fighting footsies
A kiwi’s main weapon of defence is its feet. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t use its beak to fight (that would be like humans head-butting someone with their noses). Instead, it uses its beak to probe for food.
I spy with my little eye … not a lot, to be honest
A kiwi’s sense of sight is poor, but it has excellent smell and hearing. Kiwi also see in black and white – they’re colour blind!
Whānau
Kiwi belong to a group of largely flightless birds known as ‘ratites’. Other ratites include the ostrich, emu, cassowary, and the extinct moa and ‘elephant bird’.
Hungry bellies
Kiwi are omnivores which means they eat a wide-ranging diet including invertebrates like worms, berries, seeds and some leaves.
Is it a bird, is it a plane, or … is it a mammal?
Despite being birds, kiwi display many mammalian characteristics, including marrow-filled bones and warmer internal temperatures. Their feathers are also more like hair than other birds.
Kiwi v kiwi
Just like with sheep, the plural of ‘kiwi’ is ‘kiwi’ (there is no ‘s’ in te reo Māori).