North Island Kiwi 



The kiwi has no near relative. It is a survivor of an ancient branch as old as that of 

 the emu-cassowary-ostrich-rhea group (Struthioniformes, etc.). in which it finds its 

 nearest, though still distant, relatives. Flightless, with very small wings, a plumage of 

 long filamentous feathers, and a long, curved bill with nostrils at the tip, the kiwi is 

 most unbirdlike in appearance. The two species live only in New Zealand, svhere they 

 roam damp forests at night and hide in burrows during the day. 



The scene this exhibit depicts is in the forests of North Island, New Zealand, 

 showing the North Island kiw i. In the background the snow-capped volcano of Mount 

 Egmont is seen through tree ferns, epiphytic plants, and mosses that give character to 

 the humid temperate forest at the base of the mountain. 



At mating time the kiwi forms pairs that keep together. The female is the larger and 

 more aggressive, which is rather unusual in birds, and, as in the phalaropes, it is the 

 male that takes over nest duties. The nests are made in holes beneath the roots of trees 

 or in steep banks. The size of the egg is very great in comparison with that of the bird, 

 for the kiwi is only about the size of a large domestic fowl, but its egg is ten times as 

 large as a hen's egg and weighs approximately one quarter as much as the bird that 

 lays it. Though the male incubates and mostly cares for the young, the female sleeps 

 in the burrow and helps guard the nest. In this she is more aggressive than her mate. 

 Like its relatives, the ostrich and the cassowaries, the kiwi attacks by kicking forward, 

 and its sharp claws can inflict severe injuries. 



The kiwi's eyes are small, despite its being a bird of the night. Unlike most birds in 

 many ways, it is also unlike them in apparently depending much on scent and the 

 sense of touch in locating its food. It seeks its prey of earthworms and grubs by tapping 

 about over the surface of the ground and rotten logs, probing and prying, making 

 audible sniffing noises. 



The name "kiwi," like many other New Zealand bird names such as "takahe," 

 "matuku-moona," and "tui," is strange to our ears, coming as it does from the Maori 

 language. But perhaps if we knew the bird better we'd find the name appropriate, for 

 the Maori christened it "kiwi" from its call, which is a short, shrill whistle. 



74' 



