In New Zealand, however, the national bird and animal is one and the same: the humble kiwi. The kiwi is flightless bird that’s quite different to other species. It is nocturnal, its feathers are quite furry, and it is the only bird with nostrils right at the tip of its beak. Kiwi birds may not be the best equipped for fighting predation, but they’re very smart; they also have powerful legs and are able to lay massive eggs that are quite impressive for a bird of its stature.
The closest relatives to the kiwi nowadays are the elephant birds in Madagascar, though they are also related to Australian emus and cassowaries as well as the extinct New Zealand moa. This iconic bird has five unique species – the brown kiwi, great spotted kiwi, little spotted kiwi, rowi and tokoeka – and can live between 25 to 50 years. Interestingly, kiwi chicks already have all their feathers upon hatching, start feeding on their own when they’re about five days old and take three to five years to reach full adult size.
New Zealand’s love for their national bird also means that the welfare of the kiwi bird is often used as a measure of the state of the natural environment at large. Different types of kiwi are considered to be critically endangered, vulnerable or in decline, though pest control campaigns have successfully placed the little spotted kiwi in the ‘recovering’ species list. Nowadays, there are more than 90 community-based and iwi-led groups dedicated solely to the protection of the kiwi. October is also the national Save Kiwi Month, a time when the country comes together to do their part in protecting their much-adored icon. Needless to say, New Zealanders have a great deal of pride of their gentle national symbol, and will try to protect them from extinction until the very end.
Picture Credit : Google
