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Kiwi
Kiwis are among the world's best- known but least observed birds. New Zealanders abroad, whether rugby players or tourists, are known as kiwis; as a symbol of its country it has appeared on stamps and coins, yet only a few people have observed this shy bird.
The size of kiwis varies according to sex, species and subspecies. Their peculiar pearshape results from the non development of pectoral flying muscles. The feathers also show a total divorce from flying, lacking well developed barbs and being more like the hair of the badger. The bill is long and flexible and is unique in having the nostrils at the tip indicating that the birds find their food more by smell than by sight. The eyes are very small for so essentially a nocturnal species, and its well developed facial bristles presumably act as tactile guides. The legs and feet are strong with sharp claws. The kiwi eats worms, insects and berries for which it searches on the floor of its habitat ? kauri forest and tree?fern forest.
The kiwi's nest is a hole in the ground often under the roots of a tree. The female lays two white eggs and then leaves the male to incubate and care for the young. The egg weighs 1 lb which is about 1/7 of the weight of the laying hen, and takes 75 to 77 days to hatch.
In spite of forest clearing for agriculture and the introduction of weasels, dogs and
cats, there is no indication that this secretive bird is in any danger of extinction, though its numbers have been greatly reduced since European settlement and the introduction of agriculture.
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