The animal in question is considered to be an ‘honorary mammal’ due to its physical characteristics and behaviour. And while it could fit in your hands, it's closely related to an ostrich.
This strange yet adorable creature is the kiwi, which is a flightless bird native to New Zealand.
Iconography of these national treasures features widely across this island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, even though the birds are rarely seen. Kiwis are shy, nocturnal animals that are (for the most part) in decline, but conservation efforts are ongoing.
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What sound do kiwis make?
The kiwi is said to be named after the distinctive, shrill call of male kiwis, which sounds like “kee wee, kee wee”. These loud, piercing noises are used to attract a mate and mark territory. Female kiwis have deeper, raspier calls. Take a look at more animals that sound like their name.
How big are kiwis?
Kiwis are pear-shaped birds that are about the size of a chicken. The largest species of kiwi is the great spotted kiwi: males are approximately 45cm tall and weigh up to 2.2kg; females are approximately 50cm tall and weigh up to 3kg.
How many species of kiwi are there?
The Apterygidae family includes five species: great spotted kiwi; Okarito kiwi (or rowi); North Island brown kiwi; southern brown kiwi and little spotted kiwi. All are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN apart from the little spotted kiwi, which is listed as Near Threatened.
Thanks to conservation efforts, the little spotted kiwi and Okarito kiwi have increasing populations, whereas the great spotted kiwi and southern brown kiwi are rapidly declining. The North Island brown kiwi has a stable population.
Why has the kiwi population declined?
According to charity Save the Kiwi, there are some 68,000 kiwis left. Predation from non-native predators (such as stoats and ferrets) and habitat loss are causing the decline and, consequently, the fragmentation of populations. Small and isolated kiwi populations may be less genetically diverse and are more vulnerable to localised events such as fire or disease. Motor vehicle strikes also threaten the birds.
What predators do kiwis have?
According to New Zealand’s Department of Conservation, “the biggest threat to chicks is stoats, and to adult kiwis, it’s dogs”. Cats and ferrets also kill kiwis. Chicks are vulnerable to stoat predation until they reach about 1kg in weight, which is when they can usually defend themselves. Introduced mammals, including rodents, also create competition for food in some areas, which delays the growth of chicks.
Where do kiwis live?
These nocturnal birds live in a variety of habitats, including forests (native and plantation), scrub, farmland, sand dunes and mangroves. By day they rest in burrows, hollow trees or logs, or under thick vegetation, and by night they forage.
How does a kiwi feed?
Shortly after sunset, a kiwi emerges to forage on mainly small invertebrates (fallen fruits and leaves are also eaten). It has very small eyes because sight is not a key sense that it relies on while searching for food in the dark, especially as most of its prey is hidden underground. This ratite has a highly developed sense of smell and is the only bird in the world with external nostrils at the tip of its long, slender beak. The kiwi walks along quietly thanks to the fleshy footpads on its large feet. As it moves, it taps the ground with its beak and probes the earth, plunging its beak into the soil to catch earthworms and larvae. The bird also uses its muscular legs to scrape the ground to disturb prey.
How do kiwis mate?
Kiwi courtship is unique, with a male following a female, grunting and tapping her. If uninterested, the female will run away. However, if the female is interested, mating will occur three or more times a night during the peak of activity.
The main breeding season for most species runs from June to March, when food is plentiful. Kiwis tend to form monogamous pairs, and the female typically lays one egg in a burrow. Some species of kiwi rely on the male to incubate the egg (in other species, the male and female share this responsibility), with the average incubation time between 70 to 80 days.
The chick hatches with an external yolk sac, which sustains it for the first 10 days. After that, it must find its own food. Sexual maturity depends on the species but females tend to breed at 3 to 5 years.
How big is a kiwi egg?
A kiwi egg is remarkably large compared to the bird’s body size. According to the Guinness World Records, the southern brown kiwi lays the largest eggs relative to body size: “One female kiwi weighing 1.7kg laid an egg weighing 406g, which is almost one quarter of her total body mass, and weights of up to 510g have been reliably reported for other kiwi eggs.”
How are kiwis being protected?
There have been significant successes in kiwi conservation in recent decades. However, most kiwis remain in unmanaged populations and therefore, nationally, the birds continue to decline. The Kiwi Recovery Plan 2018–2028 (the fourth recovery plan for kiwis) aims to grow the kiwi population in New Zealand to 100,000 by 2030 and involves a wide range of partners. The strategy includes habitat protection, predator control and breeding programmes such as Operation Nest Egg.
Main image: North Island brown kiwi/Getty
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