By: Kevin  Wang

Kiwis are unique birds native to the islands of New Zealand. They are the smallest of the ratites, a group of birds with a smooth sternum (breastbone) and without the ability to fly due to the lack of a keel. There are five different species of kiwi bird, with the rarest being the Apteryx Rowi. Kiwi birds are also the national birds of New Zealand.

These little birds are covered in brown or gray, fur-like feathers. Their height is around 1.5 to 2 feet tall, and they weigh 3 to 8.5 pounds. They have a long, curved beak with nostrils at the tip. They smell for their food rather than look for it. Since the nostrils are at the tip, kiwi birds technically have the shortest beak in the world because beaks are measured from the nostrils to the tip of the beak. Despite their appearances, kiwi birds also have wings, but the wings are so small that they are hidden under the kiwi bird’s fur.

Kiwi birds have a big brain for their body size. According to an article published in the National Library of Medicine, the kiwi bird’s infraclass (a taxonomic category, ranking below a subclass and containing one or more orders), the Palaeognathae, has relatively small brains for its body size compared to Neognathae, which contains the majority of all birds. However, despite being in the Paleognathae infraclass, kiwi birds still have large brains while still being small. This gives them a high encephalization quotient (EQ), which is the measure of relative brain size. According to Dr. Fabiana Kubke, from the University of Auckland’s anatomy department, the brain of a 2kg adult kiwi bird weighed about 10g on average. This relative brain size is high compared to the kiwi bird’s extinct relative, the moa, with a brain estimated to weigh 42 grams for about 100kg of body weight.

The word for kiwi is mostly accepted to be imitative of the kiwi bird’s call. Some other linguists think the word is from Proto-Polynesian because kiwi in that language would refer to the bristle-thighed curlew. This curlew resembles the kiwi bird with its long beak and brown body, so Polynesians may have applied the word kiwi for the kiwi bird. The genus name of the kiwi bird, Apteryx, comes from the ancient Greek words for “Without wings.” The “A-” means without, and the “-pteryx” means wing.

Kiwi birds are fascinating creatures with unique features that set them apart from other birds. These flightless birds have a smooth sternum and lack a keel, inhibiting their ability to fly. Kiwi birds are known for their brown or gray feathers and their world record beak. Despite their size, kiwi birds boast a large brain compared to their body size. Their name reflects the call of the kiwi bird. Kiwi birds truly stand out as special birds only in New Zealand. Unfortunately, their conservation status is vulnerable, and there are only 68k kiwis left. Anybody can help save the kiwi birds at this website.