​50 interesting facts about the kiwi bird. Kiwi bird

Squad - Kiwiformes

Family -

Genus/Species - Apteryx australis. Southern kiwi or common kiwi

Basic data:

DIMENSIONS

Length: up to 70 cm, females are larger than males.

Height: 20-55 cm.

Weight: 3-3.5 kg; females are about 20% heavier.

REPRODUCTION

Puberty: probably not earlier than 2 years.

Mating season: July-February.

Number of eggs: 1, rarely - 2.

Incubation: 42-50 days.

LIFESTYLE

Habits: kiwis (see photo of birds) stay in pairs in their area; active at night.

Food: insects, worms, fruits, sometimes amphibians and reptiles.

RELATED SPECIES

There are two more species that live only in New Zealand.

The kiwi is New Zealand's most famous bird. He leads a secretive lifestyle. During the day, the kiwi sleeps in a well-camouflaged shelter, and only comes out to feed at night. Thanks to its sensitive sense of smell and vibrissae, it can find food even in complete darkness.

REPRODUCTION

Before the start of the nesting season, kiwis chase each other with loud cries during mating fights. After mating, the female lays 1 egg (extremely rarely 2), the weight of which is about 500 g (which is equal to one quarter or one fifth of the weight of the female herself). The egg shell is very thick, white. The female lays an egg among dense vegetation, in a depression under the roots of trees. The place for it can also be a rotten tree trunk.

The male kiwi incubates the egg alone for 42-50 days. The hatched chick has eyes and already has plumage. The baby sits in the nest for the first time and does not feed at all for about six days.

KIWI AND MAN

Kiwi has always had great importance for New Zealand residents. The Maori aborigines caught it for meat, and the feathers were used as talismans.

The kiwi is featured on the coat of arms of New Zealand, and local residents They jokingly call themselves "kiwis". The main reason for the decline in kiwi numbers was the animals that were brought to the islands of New Zealand by settlers. These are mainly ferrets, dogs and cats. The number of kiwis is also declining due to the uprooting of forests, which is causing a decrease in the range of these unusual birds.

LIFESTYLE

The unusual way of life of the kiwi, as well as the structure and shape of its body, could only have formed in the desert areas of the islands of New Zealand. In any other place, a bird of this size that does not fly would have no chance of survival. This small bird would be easy prey for any predator.

Before the arrival of settlers who brought domestic animals with them to the islands, New Zealand was not inhabited, and kiwi had no natural enemies. Studies of the habitats and methods of searching for food of some New Zealand birds indicate that at first there were no representatives of higher mammals on these islands, for whose predatory species the kiwi is the most attractive: it has lost the ability to fly and goes hunting at night.

The habitat of the common kiwi is the jungle and bush. On the North Island, after large areas of forest were cleared, kiwi settled in coniferous forests and fields. These birds create permanent pairs. They communicate with each other using loud screams and whistles.

WHAT DOES IT EAT?

The kiwi's beak is long, thin, and its nostrils open at the very top. The bird has highly developed olfactory cavities. At the base of the beak there are vibrissae - very sensitive bristles. With their help, the bird finds food and recognizes representatives of its species. Kiwi also has well-developed hearing and taste, which helps it search for food at night. Its diet includes insects, worms, berries and fruits, and sometimes small reptiles. Kiwi often searches for prey in moist soil with its long beak.

• The kiwi bird has good eyesight. On his short and widely spaced legs, he runs rather awkwardly, swaying from side to side.
• Nobody believed the travelers who described kiwi. It was only in 1813 that the skin of this bird was brought to Europe.
• Sensitive whiskers at the base of the beak help kiwis search for food even at night, in complete darkness.
• The female spends so much energy on laying eggs, and the male on hatching them, that during the nesting period these birds lose up to 75% of their weight.

CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF KIWI. DESCRIPTION

Plumage: greyish-brown, hair-like. Wings are not suitable for flight.

Eggs: In a nest dug in the ground and lined with leaves, the female lays 1, occasionally 2, white eggs weighing about 500 g. The male incubates the eggs for 42-50 days.

Vibrissae: Sensitive bristles, which are located at the base of the beak, help to find food in the dark.

Legs: short and strong, with sharp claws. With them the bird digs up food and defends itself.

Beak: long, thin with nostrils that open at the very top of the beak. The olfactory cavities are highly developed.

Daytime shelter: the entrance to it is hidden under a tree or in the bushes; the bird sleeps here until dark.

- The habitat where kiwi lives

WHERE KIWI LIVES

Kiwi lives in New Zealand. These birds are common on both New Zealand islands and Stewart Island.

PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION

Number of all three types kiwi is constantly shrinking. This occurs due to a decrease in the area of ​​their distribution. Cats, dogs and weasels also influence the number of kiwis. The kiwi bird is protected by law and is a symbol of New Zealand.

Kiwi. Video (00:02:00)

The best video with the kiwi bird. Video (00:00:54)

Last night the worst drought in 20+ years here on Purerua Peninsula was broken with a 36mm rainfall. This afternoon, one of our local kiwis came out in broad daylight. We think it had been getting hungry because the ground was too hard and dry to penetrate during the drought, but with the softer soil today, the bird came out to catch up on feeding.
Note the very unusual white head and underside. Locally, this one is named "Chalky".

Rare white kiwi. Video (00:01:01)

A rare white kiwi chick has been born - the first to be hatched in captivity. Just beautiful:)

Funny animals - kiwi chick. Video (00:02:49)

16 day old baby Kiwi feeding. Isn't this the cutest animal in the world?. What's your cutest animal?. Kiwi have already been named the cutest bird in the world.

Kiwi chick hatches at Auckland Zoo. Video (00:02:36)

Michelle Whybrow, one of our bird zookeepers, filmed our latest kiwi chick hatch - that"s number two for the BNZ Operation Nest Egg season!

Kiwi- This is an unusual bird that has no wings, no tail, and feathers are more associated with the fur of an animal. In appearance it is similar to an ordinary chicken, lives exclusively in New Zealand and is its unofficial emblem. The unusualness of this creature lies in the combination of the characteristics of a bird and a mammal; it belongs to an endangered species, as a result of which it is listed in the Red Book. What other ones are there? interesting facts about the kiwi bird?

1. Kiwi has the characteristics of a bird - a long beak, on which the nostrils are located not at the base, but at the end. The underdeveloped processes of the wings, under which the kiwi tries to hide its head, like an ostrich, and the feather cover, which is not typical in structure for birds, but in its habits and some characteristics it fits the definition of animals. The body temperature is 2 degrees lower than that of all birds and is 38 ° C, the presence of antennae near the beak, like cats, poor eyesight and a well-developed sense of smell and hearing, for which William Calder, a famous zoologist, nicknamed them honorary mammals.
2. There are 5 species of this unique bird, which appeared in New Zealand 30 million years ago - northern kiwi (on the North Island), common, rovi and large gray (on the South Island), small gray (on Kapiti Island).

   

3. Kiwis are nocturnal, during the day they hide in burrows well camouflaged with grass and moss, reminiscent of labyrinths and having 2 exits. They aggressively defend their territory and use them as weapons. strong legs(one third of body weight) and a sharp beak. They go hunting half an hour after sunset.

   

4. Kiwis are monogamous and mate for several mating seasons or for life.. The female carries for almost 3 weeks a record-breaking egg in size among birds, which makes up a quarter of the entire body weight (about 0.5 kg), with a yolk content of up to 65%. The male incubates the offspring for almost 3 months, and then the chick takes 3 days to hatch from the shell.

   

5. Young chicks are vulnerable and 90% die in the first six months of life, grow slowly - only by the age of 5 do they reach the size of a mature individual. But they are long-livers - life expectancy reaches up to 60 years.

   

6. Due to the hidden lifestyle that these unusual birds lead, scientists did not immediately notice that the number was falling sharply, and less than 1% of the number that was 1000 years ago remained. The reason is a decrease in forest area and an increase in the number of predators imported to the island - weasels, cats, dogs. As a result, the state began a protection and restoration program - breeding kiwi in captivity and controlling the number of predators.

   

7. Bird feathers have a distinct mushroom smell, making them vulnerable to predators. Professor James Briskey from the University of Canterbury is planning to create a special deodorant for kiwi fruit to mask the smell.

   

8. Kiwi is the national symbol of the country's culture and a comic international nickname for the residents themselves. Often used in brand names and logos, and depicted on stamps and coins. The New Zealand dollar is also popularly named after the emblem of New Zealand because of the kiwi depicted on it.

   

9. The bird got its name from its nocturnal call that sounds like a ki-wee..

   

10. In the 50s The fruit, grown in New Zealand and exported to many countries, is called kiwi due to its resemblance to a bird - a shaggy, pear-shaped body.

    

11. There are special reserves and nurseries on the island where kiwis live. The largest is in the city of Otorhanga in the north. When forests are cleared, birds are moved to safe places.

    

12. This bird is not a carnivore and feeds on insects, amphibians, worms, mollusks, and berries. She plunges her long beak deep into the ground and sniffs out food.

    

13. The anatomical structure of the female provides for the functioning of two ovaries, unlike other birds. The ability to lay eggs does not appear until 3–5 years of age and can lay 100 eggs in a lifetime.

    

14. Since kiwis cannot fly, but only run fast, in their homeland there are many road signs warning drivers to be careful and attentive - this wingless bird may cross the road.

    

15. Cartoons are made about these unusual birds, and they become the heroes of various videos and stories.. At every step in New Zealand there is a reminder of this strange bird.

    

The kiwi bird forms a genus in the family of ratites of the same name. There are 5 species in the genus. They live in New Zealand and are endemic. At the same time, 3 species live on the North Island, and 2 species have chosen the South Island. Habitat includes subtropical and temperate forests. Currently, the forest area is decreasing, which negatively affects the population size. But in reserves and national parks the birds feel safe.

The birds are flightless and are similar in size to domestic chickens. Females are slightly larger than males. Body length is 45-54 cm. Weight varies from 2.8 to 3.5 kg. There are no tails, and the wings reach a length of 5 cm and are almost indistinguishable among the soft plumage. It has a grayish-brown color and consists of long soft feathers that feel and look like fur.

The skin is tough, the legs are strong, four-toed. The fingers end in sharp claws. The eyes are small and vision is poor. But their hearing and sense of smell are well developed. The beak is long and slightly curved. In males it reaches a length of 10 cm, in females 12 cm. The nostrils are located at the end of the beak. There are bristles at the base of the beak. They perform the functions of touch. Kiwi feathers emit a smell that matches the smell of mushrooms.

Reproduction and lifespan

Pairs are monogamous and form for life. Birds breed throughout the year, but the female lays only 1 egg, very rarely 2 eggs. The egg is large and weighs about 450 g. Its color is white or greenish depending on the type. The nest is made in a hole. The male incubates the eggs. The incubation period is 75 days. The chick is born with feathers. His parents immediately leave him and do not care at all. Therefore, the chick leaves the nest on its own and begins to get food.

Mortality among broods is very high. Up to 90% of the chicks die. In males, sexual maturity occurs at the age of one and a half years, in females at 3-5 years. IN wildlife The kiwi bird lives 20 years. In captivity, life expectancy is 30 years, and some individuals live up to 40 years.

Behavior and nutrition

These birds are active at night. Outside the breeding season they lead a solitary lifestyle. Only when they move to other areas do they unite in groups of 6-12 individuals. Eating at night is beneficial as it reduces competition from other forest inhabitants. In addition, the darkness of the night protects from predators. During the day, birds rest in holes that they dig themselves. Sometimes, instead of holes, they use free spaces between the roots of trees, as well as hollows located near the ground.

Representatives of the genus are territorial. This is especially true during the breeding season. They aggressively defend their territory from strangers. The diet consists of both animal and plant foods. These are worms, insects, crayfish, amphibians, eels, and also fruits. Kiwi birds use their long beaks to search for prey in the ground. The caught victim is killed on the ground or on stones and only then eaten. After a hunt, cone-shaped holes often remain in the ground.

These birds lead a hidden lifestyle, so it is difficult to find them in the wild. This population is considered vulnerable mainly due to cats and dogs imported to the islands, which hunt these unique birds. Currently, there are no more than 27 thousand adult individuals. The kiwi bird is the national symbol of New Zealand. She is depicted on the national currency, sports uniforms, road signs, talismans.

Meet the kiwi bird (lat. Apteryx Shaw) in nature is not an easy task, because this representative of the only genus of ratites is exclusively nocturnal. However, the habits of kiwis and the unusual appearance of the birds have long attracted the attention of many scientists.

At first glance, the kiwi resembles a small chicken with a pear-shaped body, a short neck and reduced wings that are no more than five centimeters long. Naturally, with such a length, kiwi wings are almost invisible among the plumage, reminiscent of thick wool. The bird's head is small, and its weight ranges from one and a half to four kilograms.

By the way, females kiwi an order of magnitude larger than males - this species of bird is characterized by sexual dimorphism. The short four-toed legs of the kiwi with very strong and sharp claws deserve special attention. Note that the weight of a kiwi's legs is about a third of the bird's body weight. As for the tail, there is none at all, and the kiwi's vision is quite poor due to tiny eyes with a diameter of eight millimeters.

It is for this reason that birds rely on their highly developed senses of smell and hearing. We can say that in terms of the power of smell, the kiwi received a silver medal - the gold medal for condors. The bird's beak is very long, thin and slightly curved, with nostrils located at the end and sensitive bristles at the base of the beak.

If we talk about color, then kiwi is characterized by soft feathers of light brown or gray, which help them camouflage in their natural habitat - the damp evergreen forests of New Zealand, where no more than four to five birds live per square kilometer. If at night kiwis actively hunt for insects, mollusks, earthworms and crustaceans, then during the day they prefer to sit out in hollows, dug holes or under the roots of forest trees.

As a rule, these birds are not limited to one hole in their territorial area and change several shelters per day, the number of which can reach fifty. Kiwis are real guerrillas, because they do not immediately settle in a dug hole and patiently wait for moss and grass to grow near it.

On the one hand, it may seem that kiwis are clumsy birds, but in just one night the kiwi completely bypasses its nesting area, which occupies from two to 100 hectares. Half an hour after sunset, kiwis begin hunting, but, in addition to earthworms and insects, they also do not refuse fallen fruits and berries. Kiwi birds are characterized by monogamy, because their pairs are formed for two or three mating seasons, lasting from June to March. Gestation of the egg takes the female three weeks, during which she triples her diet. Literally a couple of days before laying the egg, the female completely refuses to eat, since a kiwi egg weighs about five hundred grams, that is, it makes up 25% of the bird’s weight.

Typically, the female lays no more than two eggs in a hole, the incubation of which falls on the shoulders of the male. Since the incubation period of kiwi lasts about three months, the male needs to leave the eggs for a couple of hours a day and go hunting. At this time, the female replaces him.

The lifespan of a kiwi is the envy of any bird, as kiwis often live to be fifty or sixty years old! Kiwis can hardly be called caring parents - they abandon their chicks literally immediately after hatching. Thanks to the subcutaneous reserves of yolk, the chick does not eat at all for several days, and begins to independently search for food only after a couple of weeks. Let's add a few words about the kiwi population. Due to deforestation and domesticated predators, the kiwi population has greatly declined, but special programs make it possible to keep it under control.

Five now existing species kiwis in order of decreasing number:

1. Tokoeka, aka southern brown, aka common(lat. Apteryx australis) South and Stewart Islands. The total number is 27 thousand, of which 20 thousand are on Stuart. Status: vulnerable. The population is stable, but in the South it is declining by almost 6% per year.
2. Roroa, great gray or spotted kiwi(lat. Apteryx haastii) South Island. The total number is 16 thousand. Status: vulnerable. There is a tendency for the population to decrease - minus 2% per year.
3. Northern brown kiwi(lat. Apteryx mantelli) North, Little Barrier, Ponui, Kapiti and Kawau Islands. The total number is 5 thousand, of which two and a half are in the North, two and a half are in Little Barrier. Under threat of extinction. Minus 2% per year, in the North minus 4%.
4. Small gray or spotted kiwi(lat. Apteryx owenii) the main population (a thousand individuals) is on Kapiti Island, there are small populations on other islands. Extinct on the South Island. The total number is 1,200 individuals. Status: close to vulnerable. The population is stable.
5. Rowie or Okarita brown kiwi(lat. Apteryx rowi) lives in a very small area called Okarito (a coastal lagoon) on the South Island. The total number is about 300 individuals. Critical threat of extinction.

Many people associate the word “kiwi” with a sour fruit, but definitely not with a bird. This small flying creature is the “white crow” among birds because of its appearance and lack of ability to fly. Do you want to admire this miracle of nature? You can only see it in New Zealand!

Description of the bird

There are 6 species of these birds in total: large and small kiwi, northern and southern common kiwi, rovi, Haast kiwi. On average, the body size of a bird is the same as that of an ordinary chicken. The bird's beak is equal to one third of the length of the entire body. Many people mistakenly believe that kiwi does not have wings, but this is not true. The bird has tiny wings, but still cannot fly. From afar, it may seem that the kiwi is covered with real fur, but if you stroke it, you can feel the feathers. An important difference from other birds is that the kiwi molts several times a year, changing its seasonal plumage. She does not have a tail, so her body shape is a bit like a dome. The nostrils are located at the very end of the beak; they greatly help the bird when hunting, where it only goes out at night, as it has poor eyesight. Using sharp and strong claws, the bird subdues its prey. Most often, the bird feeds on worms, which it finds by plunging its beak into the soft ground. Birds have a special love for earthworms, larvae, beetles, seeds, roots and fallen fruit. Sometimes their diet can be varied with eels and frogs: in such a situation, strong paws come to the rescue. Then the bird, with amazing dexterity, plunges the prey into its beak and slowly eats it. The kiwi's favorite hunting place is small, inconspicuous reservoirs and ponds. The bird also boasts large ear holes and excellent hearing, which is very helpful when searching for food. When searching for larvae or beetles in the ground, the kiwi makes noisy sounds with its nostrils.

The most amazing thing is that this bird does not build a nest, because it simply does not need one: the kiwi lives underground. The bird digs a small hole and lives there. Kiwis are quite shy, making them difficult to spot. They most often hide in bushes and grassy areas to escape numerous predators. Some scientists call them "genetic remnants" due to the fact that kiwis developed poorly and were unable to migrate to different parts of the world. Despite this, tiny creatures bring smiles and tenderness to many who see them for the first time.

Choosing a kiwi bird as a pet is not the best option: birds are not very sociable even with representatives of their own species. A happy kiwi existence is only possible with a partner. There are legal norms that will not allow the domestication of birds, because they represent a small endangered species of birds. The best thing humanity can do for kiwis is to leave them in their native and familiar habitat.

• This small, unsociable bird mates once in its entire life.
• Birds live in monogamous pairs for 20 - 30 years.
• Surprisingly, the kiwi bird's egg is larger than its size (reminiscent of an ostrich egg).
• Some types of kiwi (male) incubate the eggs themselves for several days, depriving themselves of food, and the process itself can take about 70 - 90 days.
• Females have a beak several centimeters longer.
• The average body temperature of a bird is 38°C, which is 2 degrees lower than that of most birds and slightly higher than that of humans.

Interestingly, kiwis can deliberately hide the entrance to their burrow. To do this, they cover it with branches and fallen leaves. Such attention to your home is not accidental, because long time the bird spends there (until the sun sets). At the same time, young males and females sometimes go out for the morning hunt, which gives tourists the opportunity to see the national emblem of New Zealand. Despite the fact that these birds are quite timid, at night they become active and even aggressive. If a stranger wanders into their territory at night, he should be very careful. Aggression can also be caused by mating season. Kiwis breed from July to the end of February. By the way, a bird reaches sexual maturity between 16 months and 3 years. Kiwis are warned the world about the boundaries of their territory with the help of night cries that can be heard for kilometers. A successful hunt is achieved not only thanks to an excellent sense of smell (the finest in the animal world), but also due to the vibris - sensitive hairs at the base of the beak.

Kiwi has a lot in common with mammals, but not only: there are common features and with a person. The bird's brain is located in the cranium, like in humans. Females have two ovaries, although most birds have only one. These birds are not only Brown– you can meet a kiwi bird that looks like a chicken! Kiwi is a bird, interesting facts about which can be collected bit by bit for a long time - such an amazing and unusual endangered creature!