The Kiwi is a flightless nocturnal bird that has existed on the island of New Zealand for over 30 million years. In fact, this curious little animal has been the national icon of New Zealand since the 19th century. Let’s find out 10 interesting facts about the kiwi bird, and why they are one of the most unique birds in the world.
- Kiwis have tiny eyes, and their visual fields are the smallest that have been recorded in any bird. However, their sense of smell and touch are excellent, and they rely on their beak and whiskers to find food and avoid predators.
- A kiwi egg is roughly six times larger than a chicken egg despite being the same size. That’s a whopping 120 millimeters long and 80 millimeters wide to put this into perspective an average kiwi weight just 2500 grams but an average kiwi egg weight a massive 371 grams this is 15 percent of a kiwi’s body weight. It’s so large it’s basically equivalent to a human mother giving birth to a six-year-old child.
- The males actually sit on the egg until it hatches. Once the female kiwi lays her egg, the male takes over so the female can forage for food. Because the egg has taken up so much room in her body, her stomach has shrunken so much that she desperately needs to replenish herself.
- Kiwi dig burrows rather than building nests the kiwi makes its home in burrows in the forest floor which it digs out with its strong toes and claws once a kiwi is an adult it typically finds its territory and spends the rest of its life in that area. Kiwis are protective of their territories, so they patrol their borders every night and leave droppings at the boundaries to tell other kiwi that this area is taken.
- Kiwis typically look for a mate that they will stay with for the rest of their lives. Therefore, they are monogamous birds.
- Kiwi may look like decorative throw pillows from home-goods, but they are much more athletic than they appear. Under all the shaggy feathers are extreme strong legs. They run around 12 mph, or about the speed of a recreational sprinter. They also use their legs for self-defense, using sharp claws at the end for kicking and scratching. Â
- The kiwi can swim as well. It is a skilled climber and can scale trees to get away from predators.
- The average body temperature of kiwis is 38°C, which is somewhat higher than that of humans but nearly 2°C lower than that of other birds.
- Baby kiwis are born with a thick layer of down feathers, they can fend for themselves soon after they hatch. However, they are not fully grown until they are about two years old.
- Kiwis, unlike most birds, have large bones that are filled with marrow. Their powerful legs account for one-third of their body weight and enable them to run as fast as humans.
