North Island Brown Kiwi: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Fast and Slow · day 3 of 7

Five facts

1. Kiwi eggs weigh 430 g and are among the largest eggs relative to the bird's body size.
2. A kiwi finds prey by feeling the vibrations soil animals make underground, using a sensory organ in its bill tip.
3. After the female lays her huge egg, the male kiwi alone incubates it, with a feather-less brood patch to pass on heat.
4. Kiwi chicks hatch fully feathered and get no more care from their parents. Most leave the nest before they are ten days old.
5. Invertebrates such as spiders and worms make up 85-95% of a kiwi's food, with plants as the rest.

The quiz

1. How much does a kiwi egg weigh?

• 43 g
• 4 g
• 4300 g
• 430 g (correct)

A kiwi egg weighs 430 g.

2. Where is a kiwi's special sensory organ?

• In its feet
• At the tip of its bill (correct)
• Under its wings
• On its tail

A bill-tip sensory organ detects vibrations from prey underground.

3. Who incubates the kiwi egg?

• The male alone (correct)
• The female alone
• Both parents in turns
• Other kiwis in the group

The male alone incubates the egg.

4. Within how many days do kiwi chicks generally leave the nest?

• Two
• Thirty
• Ten (correct)
• Ninety

Most chicks leave the nest before they are ten days old.

5. What makes up 85-95% of a kiwi's food?

• Fruit and seeds
• Spiders and worms (correct)
• Fish and frogs
• Leaves and moss

Invertebrates such as spiders and worms make up 85-95% of the diet.

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