What does a kiwi bird look like? Photos and interesting facts. Kiwi: interesting facts about the flightless bird

Kiwi feathers are very similar to animal fur. The bird does not have wings or a tail. The beak is long, slightly curved and thin. The body is ovoid, the head is round. The paws are quite long and strong, with sharp claws. They help the birdie to escape from predator enemies.

Vision is weak, so the kiwi relies on its excellent sense of smell, with which it finds food for itself. The color of the feathers is brown or brown-black. Kiwi weight 1400 g-4 kg. The nostrils are located at the tip of the beak. What is surprising plumage kiwi smells like mushrooms.

It is almost impossible to meet a bird in open places. Since the bird is afraid of any rustle, therefore it tries to hide in the bushes (during the day), and in the dark it is aggressive.

Usually kiwi fumbles around water bodies (swamps), looking for food for itself (larvae, bugs, worms). Also, in some thickets, a “fluffy” bird can eat berries or fruits. If there is absolutely no food anywhere, then a kiwi can eat a small frog, catch a tadpole, crustaceans, mollusks in the water.

Kiwi breeding

It often happens that the male is smaller than the female, but this does not prevent the birds from remaining a couple for life. During the breeding season, for about three days, a pair of kiwis meet in a burrow nest and arrange loud concerts at night. Two or three days before the egg is laid, the female does not eat anything, as the egg occupies a large space inside the bird. The future chick weighs about 450 g and takes 1/4 of the mass from the mother.

Usually the egg is white or slightly greenish. After 2-3 months, chicks appear that are very similar to their parents (only small ones). Only two or three days the chick gets out of the shell. "Copies" of parents are born already with feathers, and not with fluff (or even naked).

Kiwis (mother and father) after hatching their babies, do not care for them and immediately leave the nest. For the first 3-4 days, the chicks barely stand on their paws, and do not leave their home. They do not even eat, they have enough subcutaneous savings of the yolk. After 5-6 days, the grown chicks slowly begin to leave their shelter, and after about a week or less they hunt insects themselves. The male reaches puberty at 18 months, and the female at two or three years.

Kiwis live a very long time for a bird from 50 to 60 years old. Over the course of her long life, the female lays about a hundred eggs.

Kiwi- this is not only a very juicy, bright green, tasty fruit, but also a unique feathered creation of nature. Kiwi bird- this is an endemic of New Zealand, it is here that a real acquaintance with a unique bird is possible, which does not even have wings to fly up.

Where the name of this came from is not exactly known, but some scientists suggest that it is rooted far back in history. Maori, who are considered the indigenous people of the island of New Zealand, mimicked the sounds, their twitter, it sounded like “kii-wee-kii-wee”. Perhaps this onomatopoeia of the Maori people gave the basis for the name of the unique bird.

The kiwi doesn't have a tail either. And the body temperature of these mysterious birds is much closer in terms of indicators to mammals, as it equals approximately 38 degrees Celsius. The legs of the kiwi are four-toed, and at the same time very strong and powerful. On each finger of the limb there are sharp strong claws.

The weight of the legs is about a third of the total weight. The legs are quite wide apart, so when running, kiwi birds look rather clumsy and somewhat reminiscent of funny mechanical toys, so they rarely run fast.

The nature and lifestyle of the kiwi bird

New Zealand is considered the birthplace of this unique miracle of nature, it is here kiwi bird lives. The number is declining, so Kiwis are listed in the Red Book and are protected. But still, poachers and enemies of these animals in wild nature do not allow the population to grow rapidly.

Often exotic lovers want buy kiwi to replenish their private collections and mini-zoos. Deforestation and uprooting have significantly reduced the area in which these birds live.

Now no more than 5 birds live on one square kilometer at the same time, this is a very low indicator of the population density of forest birds. Kiwi live mainly in the damp thickets of the island's evergreen forests. Long fingers with claws allow you to move through wet, soft, almost marshy soil.

During the daytime, kiwis spend in dug holes or hide in the roots of trees, dense thickets of plants. Burrows are unusual labyrinths that can even have more than one exit, but several at once.

There can be a large number of such daytime shelters, and the bird changes them almost every day. If a bird leaves its daytime shelter, it is only because of danger. Usually kiwis are never seen during the day, they hide.

Kiwis are nocturnal, at this time there are dramatic changes in their behavior. At night, the birds are quite active and spend most of their time foraging for food and building new shelters - burrows. Very often aggressive behavior is characteristic of birds, especially males sway.

They are ready to fight and defend their territory, especially if it has nests with eggs. Sometimes real wars and fights break out between birds, often they fight for life and death.

Reproduction and lifespan of the kiwi bird

About kiwi speak as a model of fidelity among birds. Pairs are formed for 2-3 seasons, but often a couple is inseparable all their lives. Their main mating season runs from June to March. It is at this time that touching dates take place.

The male and female meet in the hole approximately once every two or three days and make special sounds. Since kiwi birds are nocturnal, their relationship is witnessed by the stars and the mysterious darkness of the nights.

After fertilization, the female bears an egg, as a rule, only one, this is due to a number of reasons. During the period of gestation, the female has an unprecedented appetite, she eats about three times more food than usual.

But when the time comes to lay an egg, the female cannot eat anything for about three days, this is due to the unusually large size of the egg itself, which at that time is inside the bird.

Ordinary kiwi egg weighs approximately 450 grams, which is a quarter of the weight of the bird itself. The egg is large, white, sometimes has a greenish tint. In the shelter that the female has chosen - a hole or thick tree roots, the male incubates the egg. For a while, so that the male can eat and stock up on energy, the female replaces him.

The incubation period lasts 75 days, then it will take about three more days for the chick to get out of the shell, it does this mainly with the help of its paws and beak. It is hard to call kiwi birds caring parents; immediately after the birth of the chicks, they leave them.

For three days, the chicks cannot stand on their feet and move on their own to get food, but the supply of yolk allows them not to think about it. Somewhere on the fifth day, the young offspring leave the shelter and feed on their own, but after the 10th day of life, the chicks fully adapt and begin to lead a normal life, observing a nocturnal lifestyle.

Due to their defenselessness and lack of parental care, almost 90 percent of the young brood dies in the first six months. Only 10 percent survive to puberty, which in males occurs at 18 months, but in females as much as three years of age. The life expectancy of these birds is 50-60 years, during which time the female lays about 100 eggs, of which approximately 10 chicks survive.

Kiwi bird food

Kiwis come out for feeding at night, when it is dark around, and at the same time the birds have very poor eyesight. However, this is not a hindrance for them to get food. They begin their lunch meal about half an hour after sunset. They leave their hiding place and use their sense of smell and touch.

They rake the ground with their powerful legs, then plunge their beak into it and literally sniff out a delicacy for themselves. Thus, they get worms and insects that are found in the soil.

Kiwi birds can eat fallen berries and fruits that are found on their way. Also, they will not refuse shellfish and crustaceans, which are a true delicacy for them.

Incredible facts about a bird that lives only in New Zealand and is known all over the world. Kiwi is a bird that cannot fly, and everyone's favorite fruit is named after this feathered bird.

The difference between kiwi and other birds

1. Where did the name of this feathered come from, everything is simple, the birdie makes sounds very similar to the word “ki-wee”.
2. Kiwi does not have a keel, it has weakly expressed wings, its plumage is more like a fur cover of mammals, there is no other bird in which the nostrils are located not at the beginning, but at the end of the beak. As for a bird, her eyesight is poorly developed, this is compensated by acute hearing and sense of smell due to vibrissae - supersensitive bristles, like in ordinary cats.
3. One more amazing fact, kiwi feathers have a specific smell, very similar to mushrooms, unlike other birds, these inhabitants of New Zealand renew their plumage all year round. Due to the wool-like feathers, the body temperature of the kiwi is 2°C.
4. Four-toed powerful legs with strong and sharp claws for food, this bird is also amazing, they make up about a third of the total weight of a small kiwi. It should be noted that it does not have a tail like other birds.
5. The length of an adult is somewhere 55 cm, and weight from 1300 grams - up to 4 kg females are slightly larger than males of this family. Another feature of the body structure of females of this genus is the presence of two ovaries, as well as in humans, in general, birds have only one ovary.

bird habits

Kiwis do not live in nests, but in burrows that stand on their own, their minks have several exits, in case of danger, the bird covers the entrances and exits of his house with twigs, leaves, builds in a place where the grass will hide their dwelling. These are very cautious and shy creatures, for this reason they are nocturnal, they hunt insects at night so that no one notices them, they quickly run from one place to another.


Kiwi feeds on worms, beetles and other insects, and also hunts for small frogs, mollusks and various, from plant foods, prefers fruits and berries. And she eats mostly at night.

How Do Kiwis Reproduce?

Kiwi mating season lasts almost a year, this is surprising, but the breeding season begins with them in June and lasts until March. During the breeding season, kiwis are incredibly active, they arrange dances, with loud screams, fights and harassment.

Kiwis are steamed most often for life, but it happens that couples live together for only a couple of years, after which they disperse and look for new partners.


Female kiwi lays only one egg, but its size is amazing, this small bird produces an egg that weighs about 450 - 500 grams. There are cases when the female can lay another egg after a few days, but this is very rare. Both the father of the family and the mother will incubate the egg for 80 days. The shell is so strong that sometimes the chick gets out of it for two days, pecking the way to freedom.

It is amazing that in a few days, after laying an egg, the female stops eating, as the cub fills the entire place inside the bird. The period from conception to birth lasts three weeks, which is an impressive time for birds. The kiwi egg is considered the champion in terms of the yolk content in it - this is 65%, in all other birds the yolk in the egg is up to 40% of the total volume.

Kiwi chicks and offspring

Kiwi chicks also amaze us with their features, for example, for about a week the chick may not eat at all, it has enough leftover yolk that it swallows while getting out of the shell. The offspring of the kiwi grow up slowly, the babies begin to leave the mink, where they were born only after three to five weeks, at which time the parents look after him, who very rarely visit the chick, mainly the male does this.

Kiwi babies are born already with plumage, which also distinguishes them from other birds, whose offspring are born with a downy cover. The weight of the chick when it leaves the hole is 250-300 grams, it learns to hunt, get food, hide from predators on its own, so it can become an easy prey. Chicks grow for a long time, males mature at the age of 18 months, but females are considered adults when they 2 – 3 years.


Kiwi live in the wild 50 - 60 years old, which is a lot for birds, there are five species of kiwi, and they all live on the same island. Females can lay about a hundred eggs in their lifetime. Interestingly, the incubation of eggs by females and their incubation by males exhaust the birds so much that during this period they lose about 75% of their body weight. Kiwi is often called a lazy creature, although this is not at all the case, she just shows her activity not during the day, like most, but at night in order to go unnoticed.

In New Zealand, the kiwi bird is recognized symbol of the country, it can be found in zoos and nurseries in almost any country in the world. In the country of the kiwi bird, they care so much about its safety and security that on the roads you can often find warning signs “carefully kiwi” so that drivers and guests of the island do not accidentally run over the furry miracle bird.


Interestingly, none of the visitors to the island of New Zealand who returned to Europe believed that such a bird existed, only in 1813, when the sailors brought the trophy skin of the bird, they managed to prove its existence outside the island.

The kiwi had no enemies, they were brought to the island by Europeans, these are the usual cats, dogs, martens, weasels, ferrets. And in their natural, wild habitat, these birds are safe. Now the number of these birds has decreased, so they are taken and grown in nature reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, nurseries, protected parks, after which they are either released into the wild or shown to visitors.

When we hear the word kiwi, the first thing that comes to mind is a juicy fruit. However, not only the fruit plant is so called. It turns out that the kiwi fruit got its name from its resemblance to a bird. The kiwi is a unique bird in New Zealand. The kiwi bird belongs to the genus of ratites and is endemic to New Zealand. The kiwi bird reflects the culture of this country, which is why it is often depicted on postage stamps and coins. Below you will find a description and photo of the kiwi bird, as well as learn a lot of interesting and new things about it.

What does a kiwi bird look like?

What does a kiwi bird look like if the fruit is named after it? Kiwi bird looks very unusual. Looking at this creature, you won’t immediately understand - is it a bird, or a beast? After all, the kiwi has no wings and a tail, and its feathers are more like thick wool. In addition, the kiwi bird has some mammalian characteristics, such as sensitive bristles (vibrissae) at the base of the beak.

However, the kiwi is just a flightless bird. The kiwi bird looks small and does not exceed the size of an ordinary chicken. Females are larger than males. Kiwi has a pear-shaped body, small head and short neck. The kiwi bird weighs from 1.5 to 4 kg. Kiwi bird looks interesting. She has strong legs and a narrow long beak, at the tip of which are nostrils. This significantly distinguishes the kiwi from other birds, in which the nostrils are located at the base of the beak. The beak of a kiwi is very flexible and thin, and its length is about 12 cm for females and about 10 cm for males.

Although it seems that this bird does not have wings, they still do. It’s just that the wings of the kiwi bird are undeveloped and their length is only 5 cm. These are the smallest wings of all living birds, and under the dense plumage of the kiwi, they are completely invisible. The kiwi bird looks fluffy, because its body is densely covered with soft gray or brown feathers. Kiwis have short, strong legs with sharp claws. The legs of this bird from New Zealand are very strong and their weight is about 1/3 of the body weight.

The kiwi bird differs from other birds not only in appearance, but also in its behavior. Kiwi has a habit of hiding its beak under its wing during rest, which is common to many birds. But the most unusual thing is that this creature combines the features of a bird and a mammal at the same time. The kiwi has a body temperature of 38°C, which is closer to that of mammals and lower than other birds.

Also, the kiwi has a peculiar skeletal structure, because of which this bird was even called the “honorary mammal”. For quite a long time there was an assumption that the closest relative of the kiwi is the extinct moa bird. But recent DNA studies have shown that the closest relative of the kiwi is the extinct elephant bird.

Kiwis have very small eyes, so they cannot boast of sharp eyesight and rely mainly on developed hearing and an excellent sense of smell. But kiwis are very vulnerable to modern conditions, mostly because of predators, because they easily find kiwi by smell. The thing is that kiwi feathers have a specific and rather strong smell, reminiscent of a mushroom. Today there are 5 species of kiwi bird: common kiwi, northern brown kiwi, large gray kiwi, small gray kiwi and kiwi rovi.

Where does the kiwi bird live?

The kiwi bird is endemic to New Zealand. This means that the kiwi bird lives only in this place and nowhere else on the planet. The kiwi bird lives in different parts of New Zealand, depending on the species.

The northern kiwi lives on the North Island. Common kiwi, large gray kiwi, and drow inhabit the South Island. The small gray kiwi lives only on Kapiti Island. The kiwi bird lives in damp evergreen forests, because the structure of the legs allows it not to get stuck in marshy ground.

How does a New Zealand bird live?

This bird from New Zealand is very cautious and secretive, so it is quite difficult to meet it. In addition, the kiwi bird is nocturnal. During the day, the kiwi bird lives, hiding in hollows or under the roots of trees, as well as in dug holes. Curiously, each kiwi species has its own style of burrow construction. For some, this is a whole labyrinth that has several exits, while for others it is a simple hole, with only one exit. The most complex burrows are built by the large gray kiwi. Of course, this bird will not succeed in surpassing such a craftsman as a badger in the construction of holes.

The kiwi bird lives with up to 50 shelters on its site to change them every day. In a dug hole, the kiwi bird begins to live only after a few weeks. She goes to such a trick so that during this time grass and moss can grow, which will mask the entrance to the hole. But kiwis can mask the entrance to the nest on their own with the help of leaves and branches. During the day, kiwis come out of their shelters only in case of danger.

Although kiwis are calm during the day, they become aggressive at night. Kiwis are territorial birds that jealously defend their nesting area. The strong legs and sharp beak of the kiwi are dangerous weapons, so skirmishes between birds can very well be fatal. But this rarely happens. Only after natural death does the owner change at the nesting site. Birds mark the boundaries of their areas with the help of calls that can be heard at night for several kilometers. It is a mistake to think that kiwis are clumsy and slow birds. The kiwi bird is very mobile and during the night it bypasses the entire nesting area.

Scientists suggest that about a thousand years ago, millions of kiwi inhabited the forests of New Zealand. By the early 2000s, the kiwi population had dwindled to 70,000 individuals. Kiwis were dying out at a tremendous rate. Primarily because of predators and deforestation. Especially sad was the story of the ermine settlement in New Zealand to control the number of rabbits. But the ermine began to exterminate the young and eggs of native birds, including kiwi birds. Kiwis are quite hardy birds, they can survive significant changes. environment, besides, the kiwi bird is not very susceptible to disease.

In 1991, measures began to restore the kiwi population, which made it possible to significantly increase the number of birds reaching adulthood. In addition, kiwis began to be bred in captivity in order to repopulate them on the islands. The control of the number of predators that pose a threat to kiwi has also begun. Today, all types of kiwi are listed in the international Red Book.

What does the kiwi bird eat?

As soon as the sun sets, kiwis will certainly come out of their shelters to hunt. The kiwi bird eats insects, earthworms, and mollusks. The kiwi bird also eats fallen berries and fruits.

The structure of the beak allows the kiwi to literally "sniff out" worms and insects. Kiwis find prey by raking the ground with their feet and plunging their long beak deep into it. Sometimes the kiwi even eats crustaceans and small amphibians.

Kiwis are monogamous birds, they often form pairs for several years, and sometimes for life. The mating season for this bird from New Zealand occurs from June to March. Within 3 weeks, the female bears an egg, after which it carries it in a hole. Usually kiwi lays one egg and only sometimes two or three. The kiwi bird can lay eggs several times a year.

The kiwi egg is quite large and weighs about 450 grams, which is about 1/4 of the bird's body weight. Kiwi eggs are white, often with a greenish tinge. Kiwi has a percentage of yolk among bird eggs is 65%, which is quite a lot, because in most other birds it is 35-40%.

During the gestation period, the female eats 3 times more than usual. After all, a few days before laying, she stops eating at all, since the kiwi egg is very large. The laid egg is incubated by the male, who only leaves the nest to feed. During these hours, the female replaces him.

It takes about 75-85 days for a kiwi chick to hatch from an egg. After that, the kiwi chick will climb out of the shell for several days with the help of its beak and legs. A kiwi chick is born feathered not with down, but with feathers. It looks exactly like a miniature copy of an adult.

The kiwi chick is not surrounded by parental care, because the parents leave it after hatching. For several days, the kiwi chick does not eat and is unable to stand on its feet. But he does not starve, because he has subcutaneous reserves of yolk. After 5 days, the kiwi chick is already starting to leave the nest. By the age of 2 weeks, he is already looking for food.

For the first 2 months of life, the kiwi chick eats during the daytime, but soon switches to a nocturnal lifestyle. Young kiwis are very defenseless. About 90% of young animals die in the first six months of life, in most cases young kiwis become victims of predators. In a lifetime, one female produces up to 100 eggs.

The kiwi bird is growing slowly. Juveniles reach adult size at 4-5 years of age. Kiwi males become capable of breeding at the age of 1.5 years, and females by 2-3 years. But females begin to lay eggs only by the age of 5 years. This New Zealand bird is long-lived. Kiwi lives about 50-60 years.

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By its origin, the kiwi bird is unique and extremely interesting. Scientists consider New Zealand to be the original homeland of the flightless species. The wingless representative of the Apterygidae family is part of the kiwi-like order, where nature is divided into 5 species characteristic of New Zealand.

Kiwi and their general characteristics

A nimble bird, which is not destined to soar in the sky, has two legs and a long beak. It could be mistaken for an outlandish animal, because the kiwi has no tail and wings, and the feathers resemble a short undercoat.

Life on earth without flying in the air has made its own adjustments to the habits of kiwi. At the same time, the bird is considered a very ancient species. The ancestors of the kiwi, according to researchers, came to the New Zealand islands from Australasia almost 30 million years ago.

For a long time, flightless and already extinct moa birds were considered genetic relatives of kiwi. Then geneticists conducted a deep DNA analysis of kiwi, and found out that this bird is much closer in its genes to emus and cassowaries than to moas..

On New Zealand lands there are 5 varieties of ratite birds. Let's consider them in more detail:

• Southern view;
• northern brown;
• Big grey;
• Small grey;
• Rovi view.

Today, the population of all 5 species is quite stable thanks to the efforts of conservationists. The most common in the open spaces of New Zealand is considered the type of Rovi.

Appearance kiwi

Nature has made wingless creatures the size of an ordinary chicken. Due to dimorphism, females are larger than males. A small head deftly rotates on a short bird's neck. The average weight of the creation varies from 1.4 to 4 kg.

Kiwi bones are heavy, legs are powerful with 4 fingers and sharp claws. Residual wings of 3-5 cm are still present in some birds. Kiwis have retained the habit of hiding their heads under their symbolic wings, as do flying birds.

The eyes of these birds are incredibly small - the diameter of one eye is only 8 mm. Birds navigate in space with the help of smell and hearing.

A strong sense of smell, like a kiwi, is rare in nature in birds. Only condors have similar olfactory abilities.

The body temperature of the bird is 38 degrees Celsius, which makes the kiwi look like a mammal. From the feathers of individuals comes a strong smell of mushrooms, according to which, unfortunately, predators track them down.

How do kiwis live?

Kiwis are dusky birds that live in forests and swampy areas. During the day they live in hollows, burrows or under snags. At night they go in search of food.

To some extent, this species can be considered omnivorous: berries, worms, insects, mollusks and fruits form the basis of the bird's diet. From June to mid-spring, kiwis form pairs for several seasons, or for life. The female lays only one large egg. It can weigh up to half a kilogram.

The chick hatches in 75-85 days. After a couple of days, he is already on his feet and begins to feed. At the age of 5 years, the birds reach their full size. The life expectancy of an individual with a successful combination of circumstances is 50-60 years. In a lifetime, one female lays up to 100 eggs.

Population features

Even 1000 years ago, the number of kiwi in New Zealand was 12 million individuals. Now there are only 70 thousand birds on the island. Cats, dogs and weasels are the main fighters of this species. Contributes to the extinction of birds and human activity.

The country has a state program to protect this species. The kiwi bird has long been recognized as the official symbol of New Zealand..

Gray, as well as large and small species are listed in the Red Book. There they were given the status of "vulnerable".

Many have at least once heard about the kiwi bird, and also that it cannot fly, but few knew and know the following about these birds:

• The habitat of one individual is 1 km. Kiwis can make up to 50 daytime shelters on their land;
• Having made a home, the birds do not celebrate housewarming, but wait a couple of weeks until the burrow is overgrown in order to use natural camouflage;
• The shell of the bird's eggs is white with greenish patches;
• It takes exactly 3 days for kiwi chicks to break the shell and get out;
• In honor of the bird, the fruit of the same name is named, a similar “appearance” affects;
• When a female of this species lays an egg, she does not eat for several days, since it occupies most of her body.

The kiwi is endemic to the two main islands of New Zealand. It is known that New Zealanders sometimes eat its meat. To maintain the population, special reserves and reserves are being built, from where the grown chicks are released into the wild. New Zealanders are proud of their symbol, depicting the kiwi on coins, stamps and souvenirs. This bird is also the hero of local literary works for children; several animated films have been shot with the participation of its image.