Kiwi report adaptations

Kiwi adaptations

Kiwi’s are a Flightless bird that is native to New Zealand, it is a flightless bird just like an ostrich but it's still counted as a bird. Kiwis are very populated in New Zealand, Kiwis have very long beaks to help them sense food moving around in the ground, They are nocturnal and have mammal-like features, it makes them very unique.

A kiwi has two main behavioural adaptations which are being nocturnal and flightless.

Before humans arrived there were no land mammals that preyed on birds which is why they didn't fly. Flying takes away a lot of the birds energy and with no land mammals being on earth trying to prey on the birds they could just walk around and do their own thing without worrying about being attacked. Since people arrived in the kiwi’s land the forest floor has become a place of threat for them.

A kiwi has some structural adaptations to suit its habitat.

Kiwis have whiskers to help them find their way around in the darkness. They also have an exceptional sense of smell because this helps kiwi locate food beneath the soil. Kiwis' beaks do more than just smell it helps them sense where their prey is when it's moving.

Some of Kiwis' adaptations no longer work since humans arrived in New Zealand. This is because with humans came many land mammals like rats and stoats which became predators for kiwi. They are also nocturnal just like kiwi. Kiwis used to be safe and be able to roam around on the forest floor but now they can't because that is also where the threats of rats and stoats are.
Kiwi’s developed some structural and behavioural adaptations many years ago to survive. Sadly many of them no longer work due to the arrival of pests like stoats and weasels when pakeha came to New Zealand. This means that many of our kiwi are now endangered.