Kiwi - the national bird of New Zealand

Kiwis are nocturnal and extremely shy. The chances to see a kiwi in free nature are extremely low.

The most astonishing bird of the world
The kiwi is the only bird with nostrils, at the front end
of his long beak consider. He has toes and toenails instead of claws and rather hair than feathers.


Size and weight
Kiwis become up to 25 cm high and approx. 1.5 – 1.8 kg.
The kiwi can reach a size of 40 cm.

Speed
An adult kiwi can run up to 25 km/h.

Reproduction
Kiwis claim a district up to 100 ha and pairs divide a district.
They are strictly monogamous and bind themselves for her whole life (up to 30 years).
Because females attack other little male kiwis than her own partners, no brood pairs are possible in kiwi houses.
The kiwi lays with 18-25% of his body weight one of the biggest eggs in proportion to the body weight. A woman with 60 kg would correspond a baby with 13-15 kg.
A kiwi lays in each case an egg which is incubated by the male kiwi.
The hatching time of 75-85 days is one longest time for birds.
Only from 30% of the eggs fledglings hatch out. The shells of the eggs are very thin and are destroyed partially also by the hatching parent.


The kiwi is endangered
By the reduction of his natural day room and eating enemies the kiwi inventory was minimized drastically.
Of 200 kiwis only one will arise.
His main enemies are dogs, cats, rats, possums and other mammals imported by human. A dog shall have killed 200 kiwis within two years before he was shot by the Department of Conservation.
There are spot kiwis only on steward Iceland.
Brown kiwis live on the south island and north island.
In the north of the island still several Thousand kiwis live in the free nature.
At the mating time of May until September you can hear kiwi reputations, but you can see them very seldom.


Often people use the animal as a joke for the fruit "kiwi".
Here you can see a picture of this joke:










Made by Madelaine & Elena :)