NZ Native Kiwi Bird

I am learning to: inform my audience by writing an information report
By Kara

What bird has wings but cannot fly and is the national bird of New Zealand? Yes it is the Kiwi, the kiwi bird not the kiwifruit. Many people get confused with the word kiwi, this is report is on the kiwi bird. This bird has feathers and wings yet cannot fly and is related to very large well known birds that cannot fly either, the Moa, Emu and Ostrich. However the kiwi is smaller in size and can be compared to the size of a chicken. The kiwi’s eggs are quite large they are about the same size as an ostrich egg. This means the female kiwi is also often larger than the male kiwi as the female has to hold the egg. Most people only know of one type of kiwi however there are 5 species of kiwi. The Brown Kiwi, Great Spotted Kiwi, Little Spotted Kiwi, Rowi and Tokoeka. These kiwis live all over New Zealand . The kiwis the habitat is vital to their survival, they need a place where they can live, that provides food and keeps them safe from predators.


Habitat
There's no place like home for many creatures, the kiwi can be found throughout the country. A habitat is a place where a animal lives it is the natural living, or plants organism, the kiwi is well known to adapt to its surroundings. The kiwi doesn’t require perfect forests, but can live in a range of habitats. However we do need to provide habitats that they are able to eat and be protected from predators. From forests they need a healthy environment for a healthy diet.

Diet
Kiwis are omnivores which means that they eat both meat and plants. They mainly eat invertebrates, which is generally an insect with no backbone. They have a variety of food from grubs, to berries even to crayfish. Kiwis don’t require a lot of water, they can get a lot of water from the food they eat. For example a earthworm is made up of 85 percent water. This means that the Kiwi can survive in very dry places. When a Kiwi does need to drink it puts its whole beak in the water and tilt their head back for it to fall down from their beak. These native birds need to have a healthy environment to provide their food, the kiwi habitat is vital to their survival, they need a place to be safe from all their predators.

Predators
Dogs, cats, possums, stoats, wild pigs and rodents are particularly hard on adult birds and also the unhatched eggs. The larger predators make a meal of the kiwi bird if found, while the rodents target the young and unhatched eggs for their meal. This is bad news for the kiwi which struggle to breed in the best of environments. Without adult birds there are no eggs or kiwi chicks to keep the population stable and growing. These predators ruin their habitats and impact on the food that the kiwi can find, as hedgehogs and other rodents also target the food supply of kiwi. Kiwis need safety from such predators

Finally as you can see the kiwi is a unique and special icon to New Zealand. This native bird is endangered and faces many threats. If the kiwi is to survive, then we must learn about the kiwi, its habitat, the food it requires and also those that threaten the kiwi. The Kiwi is important to New Zealand they are our bird native bird and in order for future generation to know kiwis then we must protect them.