Habits: The peculiar habits and odd appearance of the brown kiwi owe much to the isolation of New Zealand’s North and South islands. In most places a flightless bird of the kiwi’s size – about the size of a hen – would be easy prey for flesh eating mammals. But until settlers arrived with domestic animals, land mammals could not even reach New Zealand. In the absence of mammals, some New Zealand birds developed habits normally associated with mammals. The brown kiwi, for example, cannot fly and feeds on insects at night.
The kiwi’s habitat is mainly the forest, where it relies on its strong legs to scurry through thick undergrowth. It generally lives in pairs, calling to its mate to keep in contact in the dense forest. The pair occupies and defends a territory, vigorously chasing away intruding kiwis.

Breeding: The female produces one or two huge eggs, which may weigh more than one-sixth of her body weight. Each contains a large, nutritious yolk that lasts for the long incubation and provides the hatching chick with food. The female lays her eggs in a hole among dense vegetation, between tree roots, or in a hollow log. Her mate incubates them for 11 weeks – the longest incubation period of any bird. By hatching time each chick is open eyed and fully feathered. Within a week it can leave the nest alone to gather food for itself.

Brown Kiwi and Man: Early Maori settlers of New Zealand prized the feathers of the kiwi for use in decorative cloaks. They also hunted the bird for its meat. Today the kiwi is the country’s national emblem, and New Zealanders often refer to themselves as “Kiwis.” But now the kiwi’s survival is threatened by the clearing of forest and by land mammals introduced by modern settlers. It has few defenses against such egg thieving mammals as rats and ferrets.

Food and Feeding: The kiwi uses the pair of very sensitive nostrils at the tip of its bill to find food and locate fellow birds. Its good senses of hearing and touch also help it secure food. The kiwi’s diet includes insects, worms, berries, fruit, and occasionally small reptiles or amphibians. To find food, it scratches through dead leaves with its powerful claws or probes the soil with its bill to smell and feel for invertebrate prey.

Key Facts:
Sizes:
Length: 20 in.
Height: 14 in.
Weight: 5 lbs. Female about 20 percent heavier than male

Breeding:
Sexual maturity: Not known, but probably at least 2 years
Laying season: July to February
Eggs: 1 or 2, white
Incubation: About 80 days

Lifestyle:
Habit: Lives in pairs. Active mainly at night
Diet: Insects, worms, berries, seeds. Some larger prey such as reptiles and amphibians

Related Species: There are 2 other species of kiwi, both in New Zealand: the great spotted kiwi, Apteryx haastii, and the little spotted kiwi, A. owenii.

Distribution: Found in New Zealand, on South Island, Stewart Island, and parts of North Island.

Conservation: The brown kiwi is threatened by the destruction of its habitat and by predatory and competitive species. It still survives in large numbers in some areas, especially in protected reserves.

Features of the Brown Kiwi:
Plumage: Gray brown, stubby and coarse but dense. Feathers are useless for flight.
Feet: Used for running swiftly through forests, scraping soil for food, and kicking out in defense.
Eggs: One or two, white. They are hidden in a hole among vegetation. The 11 week incubation period is the longest of any bird.
Whiskers: Sensitive hairs around the bill help the kiwi feel around for its food in the dark.
Bill: Long, with sensitive nostrils at tip. It enables the kiwi to root for food and to smell its prey in soil.
Daytime Nest: A hidden corner among dense vegetation or logs, where the kiwi sleeps until dusk.

Did You Know:
Europeans did not believe accounts of the kiwi until a specimen’s skin was brought back in 1813.
Sensitive bristles at the base of its bill help the kiwi root for food.
The kiwi has such good eyesight that it can run quickly in pitch darkness.
During breeding the female’s efforts in laying eggs and the male’s role in incubation cause them to lose about one-fifth of their body weight.

To return to animal menu click here