Kiwi fruit interesting facts. Interesting information about the kiwi bird. Where does the “furry bird” kiwi live?

Many people associate the word “kiwi” with a sour fruit, but definitely not with a bird. This small flying creature is the “black sheep” of birds due to its appearance and lack of ability to fly. Do you want to admire this miracle of nature? You can only see it in New Zealand!

Description of the bird

There are 6 species of these birds in total: large and small kiwi, northern and southern common kiwi, rovi, Haast kiwi. On average, the body size of a bird is the same as that of an ordinary chicken. The bird's beak is equal to one third of the length of the entire body. Many people mistakenly believe that kiwi does not have wings, but this is not true. The bird has tiny wings, but still cannot fly. From afar, it may seem that the kiwi is covered with real fur, but if you stroke it, you can feel the feathers. An important difference from other birds is that the kiwi molts several times a year, changing its seasonal plumage. She does not have a tail, so her body shape is a bit like a dome. The nostrils are located at the very end of the beak; they greatly help the bird when hunting, where it only goes out at night, as it has poor eyesight. Using sharp and strong claws, the bird subdues its prey. Most often, the bird feeds on worms, which it finds by plunging its beak into the soft ground. Birds have a special love for earthworms, larvae, beetles, seeds, roots and fallen fruit. Sometimes their diet can be varied with eels and frogs: in such a situation, strong paws come to the rescue. Then the bird, with amazing dexterity, plunges the prey into its beak and slowly eats it. The kiwi's favorite hunting place is small, inconspicuous reservoirs and ponds. The bird also boasts large ear holes and excellent hearing, which is very helpful when searching for food. When searching for larvae or beetles in the ground, the kiwi makes noisy sounds with its nostrils.

The most amazing thing is that this bird does not build a nest, because it simply does not need one: the kiwi lives underground. The bird digs a small hole and lives there. Kiwis are quite shy, making them difficult to spot. They most often hide in bushes and grassy areas to escape numerous predators. Some scientists call them "genetic remnants" due to the fact that kiwis developed poorly and were unable to migrate to different parts of the world. Despite this, tiny creatures bring smiles and tenderness to many who see them for the first time.

Choosing a kiwi bird as a pet is not the best option: the bird is not very sociable even with members of its own species. A happy kiwi existence is only possible with a partner. There are legal norms that will not allow the domestication of birds, because they represent a small endangered species of birds. The best thing humanity can do for kiwis is to leave them in their native and familiar habitat.

This small, unsociable bird mates once in its entire life.
Birds live in monogamous pairs for 20 - 30 years.
Surprisingly, the kiwi bird's egg is larger than its size (reminiscent of an ostrich egg).
Some types of kiwi (male) incubate the eggs themselves for several days, depriving themselves of food, and the process itself can take about 70 - 90 days.
Females have a beak several centimeters longer.
The average body temperature of a bird is 38°C, which is 2 degrees lower than that of most birds and slightly higher than that of humans.

Interestingly, kiwis can deliberately hide the entrance to their burrow. To do this, they cover it with branches and fallen leaves. Such attention to its home is not accidental, because the bird spends a long time there (until the sun sets). At the same time, young males and females sometimes go out for the morning hunt, which gives tourists the opportunity to see the national emblem of New Zealand. Despite the fact that these birds are quite timid, at night they become active and even aggressive. If a stranger wanders into their territory at night, he should be very careful. Aggression can also be caused by mating season. Kiwis breed from July to the end of February. By the way, a bird reaches sexual maturity between 16 months and 3 years. Kiwis warn the outside world about the boundaries of their territory with the help of night cries that can be heard for kilometers. A successful hunt is achieved not only thanks to an excellent sense of smell (the finest in the animal world), but also due to the vibris - sensitive hairs at the base of the beak.

Kiwi has a lot in common with mammals, but not only: there are similarities with humans. The bird's brain is located in the cranium, like in humans. Females have two ovaries, although most birds have only one. These birds are not only brown in color - you can also meet a kiwi bird that looks like a chicken! Kiwi is a bird, interesting facts about which can be collected bit by bit for a long time - such an amazing and unusual endangered creature!

The kiwi bird is a unique feathered creature that lives in only one place on earth. Have you heard about the furry fruit of the same name? Do you think this bird was named after him? About this and many other interesting things about the kiwi bird in our article!

The ratite kiwi bird from the family of the same name is an amazing bird, unlike other animals, which is endemic to New Zealand. It does not even have wings, without which, it would seem, a bird cannot be called a bird. Nevertheless, this unusual animal is very interesting to study.

Kiwi is a relative of the ostrich

What does a feathered kiwi look like?

Kiwi is a small (about the size of an ordinary village chicken) wingless bird, which actually looks a little like the furry “skin” of the fruit of the same name. Kiwi feathers can at first be confused with real thick fur of mammals. By the way, this bird does not have a tail, but it has a number of signs that indicate a great similarity with animals: for example, they have vibrissae - “antennae”, like cats, and the kiwi’s body temperature is about 38 degrees Celsius - closer to the body temperature of mammals. Despite this, kiwis have strong, four-toed legs and a long beak. These signs allow us to say for sure: the kiwi is a bird, not a beast! It is surprising that this living creature combines the characteristics of both mammals and birds. This once again proves how interesting and unique living nature is in its essence.

Where does the “furry bird” kiwi live?

The kiwi bird is an endemic species of New Zealand. This means that the kiwi lives exclusively in one place and nowhere else on Earth. Such animals are especially characteristic of Australia (for example, the koala) and the adjacent islands (which are the islands of New Zealand).

These birds lead a rather secretive lifestyle. They try to settle where no human has ever set foot and where there are no predatory enemies. Wet evergreen forests and swamps are the usual habitats of kiwi. By the way, long legs with long toes are designed specifically for moving on viscous soil.

During the day, kiwi birds are difficult to find in open areas: these birds usually hide in dug holes or hollows. But at night the “fluffy birds” go out hunting. What are they looking for? What do they eat? This is what we will talk about now.

What does the kiwi bird eat?

Kiwi is not a bird of prey: its diet consists of insects, earthworms and terrestrial mollusks, as well as berries and fruits of local plants. Finding them in nature is not difficult, because kiwis, although they do not have good eyesight, have an excellent sense of smell, allowing them to smell food at some distance. Sometimes, when the usual food becomes insufficient, the bird is able to catch and eat larger prey - small amphibians or reptiles.

Kiwi reproduction

During the mating season, which lasts from June to March, kiwis form pairs for themselves. Interestingly, the kiwi union is monogamous and lasts for at least two years. There are cases when these birds formed pairs for life.

Kiwi lays only one or two eggs that are incredibly large (compared to the weight of the animal) - up to 0.5 kg! This is a record among birds. Kiwi eggs are usually white, sometimes with a greenish tint. In terms of yolk content in an egg, kiwi again becomes a record holder: it is 65% (in other birds - no more than 40%).

A female kiwi, while carrying an egg, eats a lot: naturally, before laying the egg, the animal did not eat at all for some time! The laid eggs are incubated by the male, sometimes replaced by the female.

After two to three months, the chick hatches and at first does not eat: the cub feeds on subcutaneous yolk reserves. After just two weeks, the chick grows up and goes out in search of food on its own.

Features of the kiwi bird

The kiwi bird itself is very unusual. Its features are uncharacteristic of other animals.

The children of these birds are born with feathers, not down. And being born is difficult for them: it takes birds three days to get out of the shell!
Because they are unlike other birds, the famous scientist William Calder called kiwi birds “honorary mammals.”
By the way, it was the bird that gave the name to the furry fruit, and not vice versa. By the way, people not only named a fruit tree in honor of the bird, but also made it national in New Zealand. There, the kiwi bird can appear on coins and postage stamps.

Enemies of the amazing kiwi bird

Few animals are capable of harming a shaggy bird. Due to the fact that predators such as cats, dogs and martens were brought to the island by Europeans several centuries ago, the number of kiwis has noticeably decreased. Before this time, there were much more kiwi birds. However, in places where there are no animals uncharacteristic of New Zealand, kiwi are safe and their population is not in danger.

Kiwi- This is an unusual bird that has no wings, no tail, and feathers are more associated with the fur of an animal. In appearance it is similar to an ordinary chicken, lives exclusively in New Zealand and is its unofficial emblem. The unusualness of this creature lies in the combination of the characteristics of a bird and a mammal; it belongs to an endangered species, as a result of which it is listed in the Red Book. What other ones are there? interesting facts about the kiwi bird?

Kiwi has the characteristics of a bird - a long beak, on which the nostrils are located not at the base, but at the end. The underdeveloped processes of the wings, under which the kiwi tries to hide its head, like an ostrich, and the feather cover, which is not typical in structure for birds, but in its habits and some characteristics it fits the definition of animals. The body temperature is 2 degrees lower than that of all birds and is 38 ° C, the presence of antennae near the beak, like cats, poor eyesight and a well-developed sense of smell and hearing, for which William Calder, a famous zoologist, nicknamed them honorary mammals.
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There are 5 species of this unique bird, which appeared in New Zealand 30 million years ago - northern kiwi (on the North Island), common, rovi and large gray (on the South Island), small gray (on Kapiti Island).
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Kiwis are nocturnal, during the day they hide in burrows well camouflaged with grass and moss, reminiscent of labyrinths and having 2 exits. They aggressively defend their territory, using strong legs (a third of their body weight) and a sharp beak as weapons. They go hunting half an hour after sunset.
Kiwis are monogamous and mate for several mating seasons or for life.. The female carries for almost 3 weeks a record-breaking egg in size among birds, which makes up a quarter of the entire body weight (about 0.5 kg), with a yolk content of up to 65%. The male incubates the offspring for almost 3 months, and then the chick takes 3 days to hatch from the shell.
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Young chicks are vulnerable and 90% die in the first six months of life, grow slowly - only by the age of 5 do they reach the size of a mature individual. But they are long-livers - life expectancy reaches up to 60 years.
Due to the hidden lifestyle that these unusual birds lead, scientists did not immediately notice that the number was falling sharply, and less than 1% of the number that was 1000 years ago remained. The reason is a decrease in forest area and an increase in the number of predators imported to the island - weasels, cats, dogs. As a result, the state began a protection and restoration program - breeding kiwi in captivity and controlling the number of predators.
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Bird feathers have a distinct mushroom smell, making them vulnerable to predators. Professor James Briskey from the University of Canterbury is planning to create a special deodorant for kiwi fruit to mask the smell.
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Kiwi is the national symbol of the country's culture and a comic international nickname for the residents themselves. Often used in brand names and logos, and depicted on stamps and coins. The New Zealand dollar is also popularly named after the emblem of New Zealand because of the kiwi depicted on it.
The bird got its name from its nocturnal call that sounds like a ki-wee..
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In the 50s The fruit, grown in New Zealand and exported to many countries, is called kiwi due to its resemblance to a bird - a shaggy, pear-shaped body.
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There are special reserves and nurseries on the island where kiwis live. The largest is in the city of Otorhanga in the north. When forests are cleared, birds are moved to safe places.

This amazing cute bird is quite unique in its kind. Kiwis are non-flying, ratite birds, small in size, weighing an average of 3.5 kg.

What does a kiwi bird look like (photo)

The common kiwi is the largest species in this order: its height is from 20 to 55 cm. Interestingly, their females are larger than males.

The bird's short-looking and strong legs are set wide apart, making the bird appear very clumsy when running. Shifting from side to side while running, it looks more like a mechanical toy. However, when searching for food, kiwi moves very slowly and often stands in one place, waiting.

Its body is pear-shaped, with a small head on a short neck. Its weight is 1.5-4 kg.

Their eyes are very small (8 mm in diameter), so they rely mainly on their more developed sense of smell and hearing. It is known that among all birds, after kiwi, only condors have a stronger sense of smell.

Structural features

Kiwi is a bird with a rather long, thin, flexible and slightly curved beak, reaching a length of 10.5 cm in males and 12 cm in females. The nostrils are at the tip of the beak (in other birds, at the base).

The language is rudimentary. The tactile organs (sensitive bristles) are located at the base of the beak. The feathers are hair-like, the legs are four-toed.

Their skeleton is not at all pneumatic. Kiwis do not have tail feathers, nor do they have a keel, but they still have rudimentary small wings (no more than 5 cm), completely invisible under the feathers.

The plumage most likely resembles long and soft wool. Therefore, the bird looks like an animal. Adding to the resemblance to fur-bearing animals are the kiwi's vibrissae (photo can be seen below) - those same sensitive antennae. This is the only bird that has them.

Its thick and strong paws have four strong claws. For all these uncharacteristic and unusual qualities for birds listed above, zoologist William Calder called this unique bird an “honorary mammal.”

Lifestyle

The most common kiwi, like most representatives of other species of this order, live in damp and dense forests, leading a mainly nocturnal lifestyle.
Their nests are a flat platform, located in the middle of the roots or in heavily dense bushes.

They usually lay one egg, but sometimes two. Their eggs are quite large, reaching 135 mm in length and 84 mm in width, weighing approximately 500 g, which is approximately 1/4 of the female’s own weight. Their shell is quite thick and white. Surprisingly, the eggs are incubated by the male (42 to 50 days).
For the first six days, the chick sits in the nest without feeding.

Kiwi is a bird that hides in the dense thickets of the forest during the day and searches for food at night using its well-developed sense of smell. Their main food is worms and other invertebrates obtained from the soil.

The number of species of these birds is decreasing, and their habitat is also decreasing. This is due to the appearance of new animals on the islands (cats, weasels, dogs, etc.). Also, massive deforestation and uprooting of forests has a strong impact on the reduction in the number of these unique birds. Kiwis are now under protection.

Spreading

They are distributed mainly on two islands of New Zealand. Since 1921, the kiwi is an important bird and is protected by law. Existing large forest reserves are of great importance for the protection of this bird species.

The most widespread is the common kiwi (Apteryx australis), which is found throughout New Zealand, and also on Stewart Island.

And in the south of New Zealand there is also a small (Apteryx oweni) - southern kiwi, which differs from the first in its smaller size and slightly noticeable stripes in its plumage.

Housing, behavior

These birds live mainly in evergreen damp forests. Thanks to their long toes, they are able to avoid getting bogged down in marshy soft ground. In total, there are about 4-5 of these birds per 1 square kilometer in the areas most populated by them. As noted above, their lifestyle is exclusively nocturnal or twilight.

During the daytime, the kiwi hides in a hole it has dug, under tree roots or in a hollow. The burrows of the largest of them are a large labyrinth with several exits, while other species have burrows with only one exit. Moreover, in one area, a kiwi can have about 50 shelters, which it changes almost every day.

Sometimes kiwis camouflage the nest by covering the entrance with leaves and various twigs. They leave their shelter during the day only in case of danger.

At night these birds are unrecognizable; they become aggressive, especially the male - he can fiercely defend his nest site, which sometimes occupies up to 100 hectares. Fights among these birds can even end in death due to the kiwi's strong legs and beak. This is a rather dangerous weapon they have. But such serious fights between these birds are very rare.

A change in ownership of a site usually occurs after the natural death of a male. Screams are used to indicate the boundaries of areas. Their screams can be heard several kilometers away at night.

Kiwi bird, interesting facts about the attitude of local residents towards them

Local residents love these amazing birds very much. They protect them and show great care.

Many sculptures created in honor of the kiwi can be seen around the area. Special road signs on the roads warn of their possible habitats.

Local residents (aboriginals) blame Europeans for the decrease in the number of birds, although it is known from history that when Europeans reached the islands, the inhabitants of these territories heavily hunted kiwi, as they have quite tasty and nutritious meat. It is also known that the skins of these birds were used in the manufacture of leather clothing.

All this happened once upon a time. Now the kiwi (bird) is surrounded by great attention and care.
There are kiwiarni in New Zealand - buildings from where you can watch birds.
These structures can be seen everywhere. Numerous tourists visit them with pleasure. But there is one negative point - kiwis rest during the day, but at night they are very difficult to see.

This cute fluffy bird is the unofficial national emblem of New Zealand, as well as a favorite symbol of the culture of this country, found on coins, various postage stamps, etc.

Kiwi is a joke nickname for the locals themselves. And the New Zealand plant (fruit) kiwi received the same name for the close similarity of the shape of the fruit (pubescent) with the shape of a bird.

In the bright, sunny family of fruits there is one that looks like a “poor relative”, inconspicuous, unattractive, and not a relative, in fact. What kind of fruit is this?

We are talking about kiwi - the fruit of a plant of the genus Actinidia sinensis (or delicacy). These plants are tree-like vines, whose homeland is China. What else is known about him?

Kiwi has many names. Based on the fact that the kiwi berry fruit and its wild predecessors weighed about 30 grams, many call it the Chinese gooseberry, due to the similarity of the cultivated fruit in shape and color with potatoes and the “fluffiness” of a shaggy potato. But it owes its name to the small kiwi bird.

This culture became widespread in the world relatively recently. At the beginning of the 20th century, wild Actinidia was cultivated in New Zealand and kiwi fruits began to weigh 100g, and their taste characteristics improved significantly. Currently, countries with a subtropical climate readily grow and sell kiwi. The most common actinidia plantations are in Italy, Israel, New Zealand, and Chile. In Russia, kiwi is also grown on the Black Sea coast, in the Krasnodar Territory and in Dagestan. Hundreds of interesting recipes for dishes made from this tasty and healthy fruit can be found on the Internet.

The kiwi fruit ranges in color from light brown to darker, with green or yellow flesh (gold kiwi variety); soft to the touch in ripe condition. It is believed that kiwi harmoniously combines the aroma and taste of gooseberries, bananas, strawberries, melons, apples and pineapples. Tastes could not be discussed!

Ripe and tasty kiwi fruits have a remarkable feature in comparison with many fruits - combining healthy and tasteful qualities, they have a very low calorie content: 100g of kiwi is only 48 kcal.

Kiwi consists mainly of water, up to 84%, a small amount of carbohydrates, 1% protein and dietary fiber (disaccharides, monosaccharides). The usefulness of kiwi is due to the content of vitamins in them: more vitamin C than in citrus fruits; vitamin E, extremely important for pregnant and lactating women, for those who are on a diet; folic acid, vitamin B6, necessary for everyone, especially pregnant women, the elderly and children; microelements - manganese, zinc, iodine, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, which play an important role in ensuring the vital functions of the body.

The beneficial effects of the fruits of the “Chinese gooseberry” have been proven in the prevention of colds, strengthening the body’s defenses, eliminating bad cholesterol, reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases and atherosclerosis, and enhancing metabolism. Kiwi contains a wonderful enzyme - actinidin, which helps break down proteins, improve digestion and normalize the process of blood clotting.

It is better to eat kiwi half an hour before meals or after a meal, after one and a half to two hours. Most people peel the skin with a knife and cut it into slices before eating. It is considered more correct to cut off the “lid” of the fruit and select the pulp with a small spoon with teeth on the rim.

A couple of kiwi fruits a day will improve your mood and relieve depression; a mask of fruit segments will tone your skin and make it glow gratefully.

Sep 15, 2014 Marina

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