The Cool Clever Kiwis

By Daniel
I am learning to inform my audience through an information report

In the dark depths of the night, a long dark golden beak pops out of a burrow. Dark smoky quartz eyes, wide webbed feet and smooth brown fur. Yep, you got it, it’s the Kiwi! Kiwi’s are one of New Zealand’s native birds, they’re nocturnal, endangered, flightless, and they are closely related to the emu, ostrich, cassowary and rhea. 

Predators:
Kiwis are becoming endangered because of predators. Dogs and ferrets are threats to adult kiwis. Cats also kill kiwi chicks, but the biggest threat is stoats. There are places like the Coromandel where predators are controlled and kiwi numbers increase, so this is a big turning point for kiwis. But this is just the beginning, if our forest becomes more secure, kiwis will not be on the verge of extinction, thanks to us.

Species:
Kiwis are the size of a chicken and there are five different species. The largest is the Northern Brown Kiwi which grows from 50 to 65 centimeters and weighs 1.4 to 5 kilograms. The smallest is the Little Spotted Kiwi, it grows up to 35 to 45 centimeters and weighs 4.3 lbs. Kiwis live in the New Zealand forests, scrub-lands and grasslands.

Habitat:
Kiwis can adapt almost anywhere, they sleep in native and plantation forests, rough farmlands, sand dunes, snowy tussocks, and sometimes mangroves. Burrows, hollow logs, or dense and wetland vegetation they prefer places where stands of trees run down to rivers.

Diet:
Kiwis are omnivores, they eat worms, grubs, berries and seeds. They are able to find food with their strong sense of smell. The brown kiwis diet is bracket fungi and frogs they are also known for eating crayfish, eels and tuna. Kiwi have everything they need to survive, worms are 85% water to a kiwi, and this particular adaptation allows them to survive in dry climates. When kiwis drink, their beak immerses, then they toss their head back and gurgles down the water.

Offspring:
Kiwis only mate only at certain times. The male and female kiwi will work together to lay the kiwi, The male the pair will sit on the egg. The period of kiwi eggs to hatch is 75 to 85 days. Unlike other birds the kiwi chicks will kick their egg open and are covered in feathers as soon as they hatch. They look like tiny versions of their parents. After a few days, the chick will leave the burrow and stay with dad for around 20 days. Soon after, the kiwis sometimes stay in their parents territory for some time or they head out and start to find their own way in the wilderness. Chicks often do not become adults, since they have a 95 percent chick mortality rate. If they do make it to adulthood they live very long, kiwis live 20 to 25 years. Their name comes from how they speak, they communicate by using their strange sounds, “Kee-wee, kee-wee.” Kiwi are very territorial, and can outrun a human.

In conclusion these rare and amazing native birds are on the verge of extinction. So we must prevent this from happening by doing all we can to make New Zealand a better place for all our native birds.