Kiwis

Kiwi are flightless birds unique to New Zealand, standing approximately the size of a domestic chicken, and are the smallest members of the ratite group, which includes species like ostriches and emus. Of the five species of kiwi, which belong to the genus Apteryx and family Apterygidae, four are vulnerable, and one is near-threatened, mainly due to predation by non-native mammals. Interestingly, DNA research shows kiwis are more closely related to the extinct elephant bird of Madagascar than the moa, another New Zealand native. Kiwi lay exceedingly large eggs relative to their body size, and exhibit several distinctive features such as hairlike feathers and a long beak with nostrils at the tip, aiding in foraging by scent. The kiwi is an iconic symbol of New Zealand, so much so that the term 'Kiwi' is used to refer to New Zealanders worldwide. The Māori named the kiwi, possibly imitating their call or potentially relating it to a similar-looking migratory bird known as the bristle-thighed curlew. Apteryx, the genus name, means 'without wing' in Ancient Greek. Recent discoveries, including an extinct genus Proapteryx from Miocene deposits, suggest that kiwi ancestors could fly and arrived in New Zealand separately from the moa. There are five species including A. haastii, A. owenii, A. australis, A. rowi, and A. mantelli.