Introduction
The kiwi is more related to emu than
the moa.it relies on smell and touch not sight. There are 3 species of kiwi but
there are subspecies of the brown kiwi called rowi and tokoeka. The scientific
name is apteryx australis. Kiwi belong to a group of birds called ratites.
Appearance
Did you know
that the female kiwi is bigger than the male? The male is the size of a chicken
(adult), the female is slightly bigger than the male kiwi. There is a one
called great spotted kiwi that is the largest of them all measuring at 45cm
high and weighing 3.3kg. It has a beak that is 15 cm long. Here is another fact,
it can’t fly.
Habitat
Kiwi
like to live in wetlands because it's like a fortress. Kiwis are very adaptable,
they can live in: bushes, mangroves, forest, scrub, sand dunes. All Kiwis nest
in a hole called a burrow, that is like a rabbit burrow.
Diet
Kiwis prey is: small invertebrates such as cicadas, locusts, maggots, crickets, worms, small grubs and fruit. Kiwis use their beak to pick up their food. Kiwi get 85% of their water from their food.
Kiwis prey is: small invertebrates such as cicadas, locusts, maggots, crickets, worms, small grubs and fruit. Kiwis use their beak to pick up their food. Kiwi get 85% of their water from their food.
Predators
Kiwi
predators include: fox, cat, dog, rats, ferrets, weasels, stoats and also
possums. Kiwis can run at a maximum speed of 19 km per hour, this helps them
escape. They have brown or white to camouflage into the background. It is
probably the stinkiest bird ever.
Life-cycle
Kiwi can live for 20-50 years unless
it is eaten by a predator. If a kiwi is in the wild 95% of the kiwi are killed
before breeding. Male sits on the enormous egg for 65-85 days!
