Kiwi
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Struthioniformes Family: Apterygidae G. Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. A ratite is any of a diverse group of large Flightless birds of Gondwanan origin most of them now extinct R. Gray, 1840 Genus: Apteryx Shaw, 1813
Species
See text. George Shaw ( December 10, 1751 - July 22, 1813) was an English Botanist and Zoologist.

A kiwi is any of the species of flightless birds endemic to New Zealand of the genus Apteryx (the only genus in family Apterygidae). Flightless birds are birds which lack the ability to fly relying instead on their ability to run or swim and are thought to have evolved from their flying ancestors New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic At around the size of a domestic chicken, kiwi are by far the smallest living ratites. The chicken ( Gallus gallus, sometimes G gallus domesticus) is a domesticated Fowl which is traditionally believed to have descended from A ratite is any of a diverse group of large Flightless birds of Gondwanan origin most of them now extinct All kiwi species are endangered. An endangered species is a population of an organism which is at risk of becoming Extinct because it is either few in numbers or threatened by changing environmental or predation The kiwi is also a national symbol of New Zealand. A national symbol is a Symbol of any entity considering itself and manifesting itself to the world as a national community – namely sovereign states, but also

Species

Currently, there are five accepted species (one of which has four sub-species), plus one to be formally described.

• The largest species is the Great Spotted Kiwi or Roroa, Apteryx haastii, which stands about 45 cm (17. The Great Spotted Kiwi or Roroa,( Apteryx haastii) is a species of Kiwi endemic to the South Island of New Zealand 7 inches) high and weighs about 3. 3 kg. (Males about 2. 4 kg) It has grey-brown plumage with lighter bands. Plumage refers both to the layer of Feathers that cover a Bird and the pattern colour and arrangement of those feathers The female lays just one egg, with both sexes incubating. Population is estimated to be over 20,000, distributed through the more mountainous parts of northwest Nelson, the northern West Coast, and the Southern Alps.
• The very small Little Spotted Kiwi, Apteryx owenii is unable to withstand predation by introduced pigs, stoats and cats and is extinct on the mainland because of these reasons. The Little Spotted Kiwi ( Apteryx owenii) is a small species of Kiwi originally from South Island (what is known is they used to live near About 1350 remain on Kapiti Island and it has been introduced to other predator-free islands and appears to be becoming established with about 50 'Little Spots' on each island. A docile bird the size of a bantam, it stands 25 cm (9. For the garage punk band see Bantam Rooster. A bantam is a small variety of Poultry, especially Chickens Etymologically 8 inches) high and the female weighs 1. 3 kg. She lays one egg which is incubated by the male.
• The Rowi, also known as the Okarito Brown Kiwi or Apteryx rowi, is a recently identified species, slightly smaller, with a greyish tinge to the plumage and sometimes white facial feathers. The Okarito Brown Kiwi ( Apteryx rowi) also known as the Rowi is a member of the Kiwi family (Apterygidae described as new to science Females lay as many as three eggs in a season, each one in a different nest. Male and female both incubate. Distribution of these kiwi are limited to a small area on the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand.
• The Tokoeka, Apteryx australis, relatively common species of kiwi known from south and west parts of South Island that occurs at most elevations. The Tokoeka, Apteryx australis, is a species of Kiwi from New Zealand 's South Island. It is approximately the size of the Great Spotted Kiwi and is similar in appearance to the Brown Kiwi but its plumage is lighter in colour.
  • The Stewart Island Tokoeka, Apteryx australis lawryi, is a subspecies of Tokoeka from Stewart Island.
  • The Haast Tokoeka, Apteryx australis ?, is the rarest species of kiwi with only about 300 individuals. It was identified as a distinct form in 1993. It only occurs in a restricted area in South Island's Haast Range at an altitude of 1,500 m. This form is distinguished by a more strongly downcurved bill and more rufous plumage.
  • The Northern Fiordland Tokoeka ( Apteryx australis ?) and Southern Fiordland Tokoeka (Apteryx australis ?) live in the remote southwest part of South Island known as Fiordland. Fiordland is a geographic region of New Zealand that is situated on the south-western corner of the South Island. These sub-species of Tokoeka are relatively common and are nearly 40 cm (16 inches) tall.
• The North Island Brown Kiwi, Apteryx mantelli or Apteryx australis before 2000 (and still in some sources), is widespread in the northern two-thirds of the North Island and, with about 35,000 remaining, is the most common kiwi. The North Island Brown Kiwi, Apteryx mantelli or Apteryx australis before 2000 (and still in some sources is a species of Kiwi that is widespread Females stand about 40 cm (16 inches) high and weigh about 2. 8 kg, the males about 2. 2 kg. The North Island Brown has demonstrated a remarkable resilience: it adapts to a wide range of habitats, even non-native forests and some farmland. The plumage is streaky red-brown and spiky. The female usually lays two eggs, which are incubated by the male.

Apteryx owenii, the Little Spotted Kiwi

The distribution of each species of kiwi

Analysis of mitochondrial DNA, ecology, behaviour, morphology, geographic distribution and parasites of the North Island Brown Kiwi has led scientists to propose that the Brown Kiwi is three distinct species. Mitochondrial DNA ( mtDNA) is the DNA located in Organelles called mitochondria. Ecology (from Greek grc οἶκος oikos, "house(hold" and grc -λογία -logia) is the scientific study of The term morphology in Biology refers to the outward appearance ( Shape, Structure, Colour, Pattern) of an Organism The North Island Brown Kiwi; the Okarito Brown Kiwi (Rowi), whose distribution is restricted to a single site on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand; and a third distinct population of the North Island Brown Kiwi, the Southern Tokoeka, distributed in the in lowland forest to the north of Franz Josef glacier in the South Island and on Stewart Island, with a small population near Haast being another possibly distinct species, the Haast Tokoeka. The Franz Josef ( Ka Roimata o Hinehukatere in Māori) is a 12 km long Glacier located in Westland National Park on the West Coast of

Etymology

Kiwi {kē'wē Pr: kee-wee], is given as from the Māori language or Te Reo Māori (1825-35)^[1] and as "of imitative origin" from the call. ^[2]

Behaviour and ecology

Prior to the arrival of humans in the 13th century or earlier, New Zealand's only endemic mammals were three species of bat, and the ecological niches that in other parts of the world were filled by creatures as diverse as horses, wolves and mice were taken up by birds (and, to a lesser extent, reptiles). Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands In Ecology, a niche (pronounced nich nēsh or nish A shorthand definition of niche is how an organism makes a living

Kiwi are shy and usually nocturnal. As an Animal behavior, nocturnality describes sleeping during the Daytime and being active at Night - the opposite of the diurnal Their mostly nocturnal habits may be a result of habitat intrusion by predators, including humans: in areas of New Zealand where introduced predators have been removed, such as sanctuaries kiwi are often seen in daylight. Kiwi are creatures with a highly developed sense of smell, most unusual in a bird, and are the only birds with nostrils at the end of their long bill. Olfaction (also known as olfactics or smell) refers to the Sense of smell. Kiwi eat small invertebrates, seeds, grubs, and many varieties of worms. They also may eat fruit, small crayfish, eels and amphibians. Because their nostrils are located at the end of their long beaks, Kiwi can locate insects and worms underground without actually seeing or feeling them. ^[3]

Kiwi on 1898 New Zealand stamp.

Once bonded, a male and female kiwi tend to live their whole lives together as a monogamous couple. During the mating season, June to March, the pair call to each other at night, and meet in the nesting burrow every three days. These relationships may last for up to 20 years. ^[4] Kiwi eggs can weigh up to one quarter the weight of the female. Usually only one egg is laid per season. Although the kiwi is about the size of a domestic chicken, it is able to lay eggs that are about six times the size of a chicken's egg. ^[5]

Their adaptation to a terrestrial life is extensive: like all ratites they have no keel on the breastbone to anchor wing muscles, and barely any wings either: the vestiges are so small that they are invisible under the kiwi's bristly, hair-like, two-branched feathers. A ratite is any of a diverse group of large Flightless birds of Gondwanan origin most of them now extinct While birds generally have hollow bones to save weight and make flight practicable, kiwi have marrow, in the style of mammals. In the Physical sciences weight is a Measurement of the gravitational Force acting on an object With no constraints on weight from flight requirements, some Brown Kiwi females carry and lay a single 450 g egg. For other uses of the words gram or gramme see Gram (disambiguation. In most Birds and Reptiles an egg ( Latin ovum) is the Zygote, resulting from Fertilization of the Ovum.

It was long presumed that the kiwi's closest relatives were the other New Zealand ratites, the moa. The Moa were ten species (in six genera of flightless Birds endemic to New Zealand. However recent DNA studies indicate that the Ostrich is more closely related to the moa and the kiwi's closest relatives are the Emu and the cassowaries. Deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) is a Nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known The Ostrich ( Struthio camelus) is a large Flightless bird native to Africa (and formerly the Middle East) The Moa were ten species (in six genera of flightless Birds endemic to New Zealand. The Emu ( Dromaius novaehollandiae, is the largest Bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the Genus Cassowaries ( Genus Casuarius) are very large flightless Birds native to the Tropical forests of New Guinea and This theory suggests that the kiwi's ancestors arrived in New Zealand from elsewhere in Australasia well after the moa. Australasia is a Region of Oceania: New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and neighbouring Islands in the Pacific The Moa were ten species (in six genera of flightless Birds endemic to New Zealand. According to British scientists, the kiwi may be an ancient import from Australia. Researchers of Oxford University have found DNA evidence connected to Australia's Emu and the Ostrich of Africa. The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the Deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) is a Nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known The Emu ( Dromaius novaehollandiae, is the largest Bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the Genus The Ostrich ( Struthio camelus) is a large Flightless bird native to Africa (and formerly the Middle East) Upon examining DNA from New Zealand's native moa, they believe that the kiwi is more closely related to its Australian cousins. Deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) is a Nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known The Moa were ten species (in six genera of flightless Birds endemic to New Zealand. ^[6]

North Island Brown Kiwi

Discovery and documentation

The first kiwi specimen to be studied by Europeans was a kiwi skin brought to George Shaw by Captain Andrew Barclay aboard the ship Providence, who was reported to have been given it by a sealer in Sydney Harbour around 1811. George Shaw ( December 10, 1751 - July 22, 1813) was an English Botanist and Zoologist. Port Jackson, containing Sydney Harbour, is the natural harbour of Sydney Australia George Shaw gave the kiwi its scientific name and drew sketches of the way he imagined a live bird to look which appeared as plates 1057 and 1058 in volume 24 of The Naturalist's Miscellany in 1813.

See also

• Aroha Island
• Bulford Kiwi a giant chalk Kiwi carved into a hillside in England by Kiwi Troops waiting to go home at the end of WW1. Aroha Island is a small island at Kerikeri in the Northland Region of New Zealand, owned and managed by the Queen Elizabeth II National Trust The Bulford Kiwi is an immense drawing of a Kiwi carved in the Chalk on Beacon Hill above the then-military town of Bulford on the Salisbury It's still there today

References

1. ^ Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006
2. ^ The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company
3. ^ Because a bird's beak is generally measured from the tip to the nostril, this (technically) gives Kiwi the shortest beak of any bird.
4. ^ KiwiRecovery.org
5. ^ Producing an Egg. Retrieved on 2007-08-13. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 3114 BC - According to the Lounsbury correlation the start of the Maya calendar.
6. ^ News In Science

• Bizarre and Beautiful Noses. Sante Fe, New Mexico: John Muir Publications, 1993.
• Burbidge M. L. , Colbourne R. M. , Robertson H. A. , and Baker A. J. (2003). Molecular and other biological evidence supports the recognition of at least three species of brown kiwi. Conservation Genetics, 4(2):167-177
• Cooper, Alan et al (2001). Complete mitochondrial genome sequences of two extinct moas clarify ratite evolution. Nature, 409: 704-707.
• News In Science
• NHNZ has made a 60 minute television documentary called Kiwi a Natural History, produced in 1991. Natural History New Zealand Ltd ( NHNZ) is a small New Zealand -based documentary production company that creates more than 60 hours of television programming each year

External links

• Great Spotted Kiwi - ARKive
• Kiwi: New Zealand Department of Conservation
• H. A. Robertson (2003). Kiwi (Apteryx spp.) recovery plan 1996–2006. (Threatened Species Recovery Plan 50). Department of Conservation, Wellington, New Zealand. Retrieved on 2007-09-19. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 335 - Dalmatius is raised to the rank of Caesar by his uncle Constantine I.
• Save The Kiwi (formerly Kiwi Recovery)
• Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, Christchurch, New Zealand
• Online Encyclopedia entry "Kiwi"
• TerraNature pages on kiwi
• How the Kiwi Lost his Wings (a Maori legend)