North Island Brown Kiwi All Facts

North Island Brown Kiwi Basic Information:

 

The North Island Brown Kiwi is very similar in appearance to other Kiwi, being small and round-bodied, with a genuinely stocky appearance. They have curved, long beaks with olfactory cavities on the ends, which they use to snuffle out worms and other underground invertebrates. They have long legs with three powerful claws on the end, which they use for digging out burrows. They have small eyes and lack good vision. They make up for in smell what they lack insight.

North Island Brown Kiwi Breeding Information:

The North Island Brown Kiwi, like its Kiwi brethren, is also known for its massive egg size; the Kiwi will lay an egg nearly a quarter its body size! The egg is so big, it takes nearly three months to hatch.

North Island Brown Kiwi History:

The North Island Brown Kiwi, and Kiwis in general, are steeped in New Zealand lore. The indigenous people of New Zealand have made the Kiwi one of their major religious symbols; a coat of Kiwi feathers, taken from Kiwi killed by cars or Kiwi that have died naturally in the wild, is used to honor specific members of the tribe. The Kiwi is also known as being the first offspring of the God of the forest.

North Island Brown Kiwi Behavior: 

The North Island Brown Kiwi is the most widely seen and exposed Kiwi in its native country of New Zealand! The North Island Brown is the most widely found Kiwis in New Zealand. They have adapted well to the oncoming threat to humans. They live among some difficult conditions, partly helped by their constitutions, which are best described as tough as nails. Classified among other flightless birds, collectively known as Rates, the North Island Brown Kiwis share a lineage with the Ostrich and the Emu. The North Island Brown Kiwi has become fully adapted to life on the forest floor. 

They have stout, ground-dwelling bodies and are meant for foraging food on the surface instead of in the air. Kiwis sleep underground in burrows, which they make with their powerful feet. They are known for hunting ground worms and pecking at the occasional berry with their strong beak. The beak of the North Island Brown Kiwi is interesting, because, like other Kiwi species, it ends with nostrils. This allows them to bury their beak in the ground and sniff out potential food sources. 

The North Island Brown Kiwi is very protective of its range and will protect a large area for itself where it can safely burrow as many places as it likes. 

Although the North Island Brown is a relatively successful species, it is still an endangered species of bird and steps are being taken to preserve it. 

Several conservation groups in New Zealand are making sure these birds are preserved, keeping them in special areas, where no predators, natural or otherwise, exist to threaten the Kiwi's existence.

North Island Brown Kiwi More Information:

Scientific Name: Apteryx Mantelli

Common Food: N/A

Origin: New Zealand

Habitat: N/A