The Kiwi: 8 things to know about
this exceptional bird!
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| KIWI BIRD |
In
our daily life, it is common that we evoke the kiwi to designate other than a
fruit; And yet, the latter does have something in common with a little bird of the
same name, same color and shape, and they are both originally from New Zealand.
If it is relatively unknown to us, it is not the same thing in this country
which is located at the end of the world! In this article we present 8 things
to know about this bird, which was born never to fly.
1. It is the emblem of New Zealand
The
kiwi, the most famous bird in New Zealand, and it is a real symbol in this
country. Appeared on military badges for the first time at the scales of the
nineteenth century. And during World War I, the nickname "Kiwis" was
given to New Zealand soldiers, after that this nickname spread to become
surname of all New Zealanders, it is also featured on the 1 $ NZ (New Zealand
dollar). New Zealanders themselves are very attached to it, and that it is part
of the traditional fauna for him. This little bird is indeed used to symbolize
the uniqueness and the natural and cultural riches of this country. Already for
the Maori, the kiwi was a precious creature and synonymous with renown. Today,
it is considered and protected in the same way as a public treasure and an
ancestral heritage.
2. It is an endemic animal
You
won't be able to see a kiwi anywhere other than New Zealand. It is indeed an
endemic species that has developed for centuries.
But
consider, it is better to know how to show tolerance to see a kiwi in the wild.
These birds are very fearful and come out mainly at night for food. It is
therefore rather uncommon to meet them. New Zealand offers this bird an ideal
environment to live, because it prefers forest environments, scrub, grasslands
with tall grasses. The Kiwi lives in burrows, inside trunks or under ferns,
which it digs into the ground with the help of its its beak and its powerful
claws.
3. There are 5 subspecies of The kiwi
The
kiwis are still divided into 5 distinct branches, the Mantell Kiwi, the Okarito
Kiwi, the Roa Kiwi, the Southern Kiwi, and the Owen Kiwi, It is the only kiwi
that is not considered threatened today. These birds come from the same family
as the Australian Emu, and still look very similar to each other.
4. He does not fly
The
kiwi is one of the rare birds that cannot fly. The causes of this inability to
fly are said to have arisen from a long and slow evolution of the species, but
this can be explained by their feathers resembling hairs, and the reduced size
of the wings of a bird, and They do not have muscles powerful enough to operate
them. It is for these reasons the Kiwi cannot fly.
There
are other flightless birds like the ostrich, the Australian emu, Rhea, Cassowary and, of course, penguins. Kiwis move by walking on the ground and it
is a fast running creature.
According
to Maori legend, this bird lived high in trees and had formidable wings. One
day, the god of the forest, Tane, asked birds to live at the foot of trees to
protect them from insects. Only the kiwi sacrificed its wings for the forest.
5. He is in danger of extinction
the
Kiwi is registered on the red list of the IUPN (International Union for the
Preservation of Nature), estimates that there are today less than 70,000 in all
the country. Among the five extant kiwi species, there are four in circumstance
of vulnerability. Owen's Kiwi, It is the only kiwi that is not considered
endangered today.
There are several factors to put the kiwi in the list of endangered species, on its head is massive deforestation. The other is the introduction of predators such as rats, ferrets, stoats, cats, pigs, dogs and possums which are its main predators of this bird. Also the Kiwi are not afraid of predators and they are fragile in the face of them. The eggs laid by the kiwi fruit are not well hidden and it is within easy reach of anyone.
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6-The kiwi with one egg among the largest eggs in the world.
The
New Zealand kiwi bird lays the largest eggs relative to its size with a white
color, the kiwi is about the size of a chicken, but it lays eggs which are
about three times the size of a chicken egg, the egg represents 20% of the
weight of the female kiwi, the latter only lays one or sometimes two eggs per
year.
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Nice photo of a female Kiwi skeleton with her big egg in her belly. |
7-His foods are very varied
The kiwi is omnivorous. It eats insects, invertebrates, spiders, larvae, snails, fallen fruit, and amphibians that it finds while searching the ground with its long beak. The bird is nocturnal, and it lives in the burrows it has dug. Only comes out at night to look for food, its sense of smell is very developed, with the help of a sort of mustache around the beak and also the nostrils at the end of the beak, which allows it to locate its prey well the smell. On the other hand, his sight is very limited. Indeed, he does not see far than 50 cm.
8- The kiwi is a monogamous bird
Like all birds, the kiwi is oviparous, It reproduces between March and June, Once the egg has been laid, the female calls and stings the male with her beak to force him to stay in the nest. The male alone incubates the egg for 65 to 80 days. After hatching, the little kiwi will not become an adult until it is six years old, and the cool thing is that a kiwi can live 30 to 35 years.
thank you for the informations
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