Australian Animals - Brown Kiwi

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The Brown Kiwi is a bird that finds its home in Australia. On this page you will learn some cool stuff about this particular bird. To jump to a specific section, use the Quick Jump below by clicking on the heading.

Sizes

-Length=20 inches

-Height=14 inches

-Weight=5 pounds, but the female is 20% heavier than the male.

-Number of eggs=1-2 (They are very big eggs).

-Weight of babies=more than 1/6 of mother’s body weight.

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Brown Kiwi searching for food.

Food and Feeding

-They use the sensitive tip at the end of their bill to locate food.

-They have a good sense of hearing and touch that also helps them find food.

-The Kiwi mainly eats

-insects

-worms

-berries

-fruit

-occasionally small reptiles

-occasionally small amphibians

-To find their food they scratch threw dead leaves with their claws and probe the soil with their bill.

Habitat and Habits

-Until settlers arrived no mammals could ever reach New Zealand.

-The Brown Kiwi feeds on insects at night.

-They have their homes mainly in forests.

-They strongly rely on their strong legs to help them scurry quickly through the underbrush.

-The Kiwi usually live together in pairs.

-They occupy and defend their territory against intruding Kiwis.

Brown Kiwi and Man

-Early Maori settlers prized the feathers of the Kiwi for decorative cloaks.

-They were hunted for meat.

-Their survival is threatened by the clearing of forests.

-Their population is also threatened by land mammals.

-The Brown Kiwi has very few defenses against predators.

-Their habitats are sometimes destructed by predatory species and competitive species.

-They survive in large numbers in some places. Mostly reserves.

Features

-The Brown Kiwi are a grayish brown color.

-The Brown Kiwi have no visible legs.

-They have coarse feathers that look like fur.

-They have short thick legs.

-They are unable to fly.

-They have such good eyesight that they can run quickly in pitch dark.

-The Brown Kiwi uses its feet for...

running through forests
scraping soil for food
kicking in defense

Facts

-The Brown Kiwi is one of New Zealand’s most celebrated and unusual birds.

-During breeding, both the male and female Kiwi loose 75% of their body weight.

-They are New Zealand's National Emblem.

Links for More Information

-Kiwi Web

-The Kiwi