Have you ever seen a kiwi? Do you know how they look? Kiwis are flightless birds which are endemic to New Zealand. They were not found anywhere else in the world. Their scientific name is Aptery, belonging to the family of Apterygidae. Kiwis come out at night. That means that they are nocturnal. Other animals in the family are the emu, cassowary, moa and ostrich. They are also becoming rare. Before European settlers, there were millions of kiwis in the wild. However, the number has now decreased to less than 60,000. Cats, stoats, ferrets and rats are responsible for this loss. They came along on the ships. 

They are also about the size of a chicken. There are five species of kiwis which are: Great Spotted, Okarito Brown (Rowi), Tokoeka, Little Spotted and North Island Brown. They also have many unique things like short legs and beaks at the end of their beaks. Most of the species are brown. They look very furry. But they only have thin and hair-like feathers. On the other hand, the Little Spotted Kiwi has some parts of white fur. 

Kiwis especially like the steep and wet areas. Most of them live in bird sanctuaries on Stewart Island. And some live on the mainland. 

Kiwis are omnivorous because they eat vegetables and meat. Their favourite food is worms. They also eat other insects, like slugs, snails, centipedes, insects from the family woodlice and other insects. They also eat seeds, berries and plant material. 

In the end, kiwis are amazing animals. If you want to see kiwis, you can visit the Auckland Zoo or other places. 


Reference: 

Kiwi | WWF New Zealand 

Kiwi (bird) - Wikipedia 

Kiwi species - Save the Kiwi