Like its larger cousins the cassowary, emu, ostrich, and rhea, the kiwi is classified as a ratite. Most birds have a special ridge on their sternum, called a keel, where flight muscles attach, but ratites don't need keels because they don't fly. Scientists thought for many years that the kiwi's closest relative was another ratite called a moa, an extinct bird that was also native to New Zealand. However, recent genetic studies have shown that Africa's ostrich is related to the moa while the kiwi is more closely related to Madagascar's extinct elephant bird.

The kiwi digs burrows instead of building a nest. Its feathers are long, loose, and hair-like, and it has modified feathers that serve as whiskers on its face and around the base of its beak. The kiwi also has a relatively low body temperature (100 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius) that is much more like a mammal than a bird.


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The kiwi lives in forested areas of New Zealand that tend to be very steep and wet, surrounded by shrubs and trees found nowhere else on Earth. Since it is not able to fly up into trees to nest, rest, or escape from danger, the kiwi makes its home in burrows in the ground of its swampy forest or grassland habitat. The bird digs multiple burrows within its territory, using strong toes and claws. Nest burrows, dug early in the season, become overgrown at the entrance to provide great camouflage by the time the female is ready to lay her eggs.

Most birds sleep at night, and it has long been thought that the kiwi is nocturnal, since it is rarely seen during the day. But conservation scientists studying the bird on New Zealand's Stewart Island have seen them out and about during the day. Still, the kiwi usually rests in deep underground burrows or hollow logs during the day, and as night begins to fall, it slowly pokes its bill out to sniff the air. If the coast is clear, the bird cautiously emerges to begin a nightly routine of gorging on worms and other invertebrates.

The kiwi is the only bird in the world that has nostrils at the tip of its bill. It also has a highly developed sense of smell. Using only scent to find food and sensory pads at the tip of the bill to catch its food, the kiwi lives on grubs, worms, bugs, berries, and seeds. If dirt gets sniffed up in it nostrils, the kiwi can sneeze it out! It can also use its sturdy, powerful feet to kick apart rotting logs to find beetles to eat.

An adult male and female kiwi typically pair for life, but a female may choose a new male if a more desirable one wanders by. The male doesn't have beautiful songs or fancy feathers to attract a female. Instead, he follows one around constantly while grunting. If she's not interested, the female might wander off or try to scare him away.

The female kiwi lays up to six eggs every year. Kiwi eggs are smooth and white, off-white, or pale green in color. They are also huge in comparison to the mother: one egg might reach up to 20 percent of her weight; that would be like a 120-pound (54 kilograms) human female giving birth to a 24-pound (11 kilograms) baby! Compared to the relative weights of other birds and their eggs, the female kiwi should weigh about 31 pounds (14 kilograms) rather than its typical weight of 2 to 8 pounds (0.9 to 3.6 kilograms).

After the egg is laid, the male takes over parenting duties. He incubates the egg and maintains the nest for nearly 75 to 85 days, but if the female returns to lay another egg, the male has to sit on the clutch that much longer. Unlike most bird parents, kiwis do not turn their eggs.

Lacking an egg tooth, the chick must kick its way out of the shell. It hatches wearing shaggy adult feathers and looking like a miniature version of its parents. No ugly baby phase for these birds! The youngster is not fed by the adults but gets its nourishment from a large reserve of yolk in its abdomen. The chick stays in the nest for its first few days, gaining strength. The young kiwi then leaves the burrow and, accompanied by Dad, begins the search for food. It stays with the male up to 20 days and may stick around in the adults' territory for months or even years.

Today, 80 percent of kiwi habitat has been destroyed, and the birds continue to fall prey to dogs, weasels, cats, ferrets, pigs, people, cattle guards, cars, swimming pools, and possum traps. Still, the birds are highly adaptive and have been seen in New Zealand cow pastures and plantations. Every year, 95 percent of all kiwi chicks are killed before they reach the age of 6 months, and every 2 years the kiwi population decreases by about 10 percent.

A few years ago, New Zealand began a kiwi recovery program. People living near kiwi areas have learned to keep their dogs leashed and to slow their cars when they see a kiwi caution sign by the road. Operation Nest Egg collects eggs from the kiwi nests and raises the chicks until they are large enough to defend themselves against predators.

In 2009, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance formed collaborations with local ranchers on a private island off the coast of western New Zealand, Massey University, in-country scientists, and the indigenous Maori people to delve into the ecology of the brown kiwi, which has been in decline for decades. Learning about the reproductive ecology of this bird is the only way to ensure that its populations will survive and thrive. The island is secluded, protected habitat with a high density of kiwis.

Techniques were developed in our labs to identify individual kiwis by their DNA and, and ultrasound procedures were used to monitor growth of ovarian follicles to estimate egg-laying time. This newfound knowledge was then successfully applied to birds on the island. By monitoring egg development, we hope to discover ways to improve fertility and survival of eggs at our facilities.

Important data can also be gleaned from radio-tracking devices on the birds. After months of fieldwork, 47 adult kiwis on the island now have a radio transmitter attached to a leg, and 41 kiwi nests were documented, allowing us to explore the importance of habitat and behavior on the nesting success of this rare and reclusive bird.

The birds are identified with transponder tags, such as those used to microchip domestic pets. The radio transmitters reveal a great deal about where the birds go and how far they travel for food. One area of study is mate choice and how long kiwis stay together. Ongoing conservation work will compare hormone levels and also observe chick dispersal patterns for this long-lived bird. A few fascinating facts have emerged from our efforts so far, such as finding three males incubating a single egg!

Kiwifruit is native to central and eastern China.[1] The first recorded description of the kiwifruit dates to the 12th century during the Song dynasty.[4] In the early 20th century, cultivation of kiwifruit spread from China to New Zealand, where the first commercial plantings occurred.[1] The fruit became popular with British and American servicemen stationed in New Zealand during World War II, and later became commonly exported, first to Great Britain and then to California in the 1960s.[1][5]

Early varieties were described in a 1904 nursery catalogue as having "...edible fruits the size of walnuts, and the flavour of ripe gooseberries",[6] leading to the name Chinese gooseberry.[1] In 1962, New Zealand growers began calling it "kiwifruit" (Mori: huakiwi)[7] due to its fuzzy appearance similar to a kiwi[8] for export marketing, and the name was first registered by Turners & Growers on 15 June 1959[8] and later commercially adopted in 1974.[1] In New Zealand and Australia, the word "kiwi" alone either refers solely to the bird or is used as a nickname for New Zealanders; it is almost never used to refer to the fruit.[5][9] Kiwifruit has since become a common name for all commercially grown green kiwifruit from the genus Actinidia.[1] In the United States and Canada, the shortened name kiwi is commonly used when referring to the fruit.[10][11]

Kiwifruit is native to central and eastern China.[1] The first recorded description of the kiwifruit dates to 12th century China during the Song dynasty.[4] As it was usually collected from the wild and consumed for medicinal purposes, the plant was rarely cultivated or bred.[12] Cultivation of kiwifruit spread from China in the early 20th century to New Zealand, where the first commercial plantings occurred.[1] The fruit became popular with British and American servicemen stationed in New Zealand during World War II, and was later exported, first to Great Britain and then to California in the 1960s.[1][5]

The genus Actinidia comprises around 60 species. Their fruits are quite variable, although most are easily recognised as kiwifruit because of their appearance and shape. The skin of the fruit varies in size, hairiness and colour. The flesh varies in colour, juiciness, texture and taste. Some fruits are unpalatable, while others taste considerably better than the majority of commercial cultivars.[1][14]

The most commonly sold kiwifruit is derived from A. deliciosa (fuzzy kiwifruit). Other species that are commonly eaten include A. chinensis (golden kiwifruit), A. coriacea (Chinese egg gooseberry), A. arguta (hardy kiwifruit), A. kolomikta (Arctic kiwifruit), A. melanandra (purple kiwifruit), A. polygama (silver vine) and A. purpurea (hearty red kiwifruit).[14]

Most kiwifruit sold belongs to a few cultivars of A. deliciosa (fuzzy kiwifruit): 'Hayward', 'Blake' and 'Saanichton 12'.[2] They have a fuzzy, dull brown skin and bright green flesh. The familiar cultivar 'Hayward' was developed by Hayward Wright in Avondale, New Zealand, around 1924.[14] It was initially grown in domestic gardens, but commercial planting began in the 1940s.

Kiwi berries are edible fruits the size of a large grape, similar to fuzzy kiwifruit in taste and internal appearance but with a thin, smooth green skin. They are primarily produced by three species: Actinidia arguta (hardy kiwi), A. kolomikta (Arctic kiwifruit) and A. polygama (silver vine). They are fast-growing, climbing vines, durable over their growing season. They are referred to as "kiwi berry, baby kiwi, dessert kiwi, grape kiwi, or cocktail kiwi".[15] ff782bc1db

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