What makes the kiwi famous?

The kiwi could be said to be famous because it is the national icon of New Zealand. There is, of course, much more that makes this bird famous, as it is quite unlike any other species of bird in the world.

Kiwi have special characteristics that enable them to survive as small, Flightless Birds of New Zealand. They have tiny, rudimentary wings that are so small they are completely hidden beneath their thick covering of shaggy feathers. They cannot fly because they are members of the group of flightless birds known as ratites. Ratites have wings but the bones in their chests do not have the capacity for flight muscles, which is what birds also need to fly.

Being birds, they have feathers, but the feathers are wispy and shaggy in appearance. Also being birds, they lay eggs in order to reproduce, but the eggs are six times larger than eggs from a bird of similar size. Just prior to the egg being laid, it takes up 15 - 20% of the bird's entire body weight.

Kiwi have unusually long bills. Their nostrils are at the end of their beak and they have an exceptional sense of smell. They use their long bill and their sense of smell to locate food up to the depth of their bill below the surface of the ground.

Kiwi are nocturnal. Most nocturnal birds are owls and nightjars, but the kiwi's nocturnal habits are a means for protecting itself from predators.