The Kiwi is a flightless, brown , bird native to New Zealand, it has a long, curved beak and feeds on small invertebrates, seeds, fruit, and small eels.  There are five agreed upon species of kiwi, most are the size of a domesticated chicken, all are endangered. The Kiwi lays one of the largest eggs in comparison to it’s own body size, about six-times the size of a chicken’s egg.  The Kiwi was once thought to be related to New Zealand’s long-extinct Moa, it has been found that the Moa is more closely related to the Ostrich, the Kiwi, however, is more closely related to the Emu and Cassowaries, this means that the Kiwi’s ancestors moved to New Zealand long before the Moa evolved, the Kiwi may have been an ancient import from Australia.  Before humans came to New Zealand, the only mammals in the environment where three species of bat, other niches in the environment were filled by birds, reptiles, and amphibians, there were few predators so many birds became flightless on the island.  Kiwi are shy, nocturnal creatures, and are of no danger to large animals.  They may have become nocturnal due to the invasion of foreign animals by human settlers.                                                                                            

Kiwi are often seen during the day and prefer subtropical climates. The Kiwi can find prey without seeing or feeling them with only their sense of smell.  Once bonded a mating pair of Kiwi tend to spend their entire lives together, these relationships tend to last about 20 years.  the couple only meets every three days during June through March.  They are the only birds to have a functioning pair of ovaries.  The Kiwi lays one egg per year.  The eggs are smooth and are ivory or green-ish, and eggs can equal one-fourth of the females weight.  The male incubates the egg, except in the Great Spotted Kiwi, where both parents are involved.  For the thirty days it takes to form the egg, the female must eat three times her normal food consumption, the egg takes up to 92 days to hatch.  The Kiwi barely has any wings at all, it is truely adapted to life on land.  The Kiwi have no adaptations for flight.  The Maori use Kiwi feathers to make cloaks, but recently use only the feathers of animals that are already dead, the Maori now consider themselves the guardians of the kiwi. 

Kiwi Rescue Groups;