The little spotted kiwi ( Apteryx owenii) Its habitat is upland mountainous areas such as the northern part of the South Island. The population of the great spotted kiwi is above 20 000 species. The female of this species lays only one egg, which both parents incubate. It has grayish brown plumage with brighter spots on its body – hence its name. Its height is up to 45 cm (18 in) and it weighs around 3.3 kg (7.3 lb), males 2.4 kg (5.3 lb). There are five species of kiwi in the official classification: The great spotted kiwi ( Apteryx haastii) These include heavy bones, filled with marrow, thicker and tougher skin and loose, long feathers, which are similar to hair. Some elements of its body resemble those that mammals have. However, it is not the end of surprising facts about this extremely interesting bird. Although its size makes it similar to the chicken, it lays very big eggs in comparison to its body size. The kiwi is a unique bird living in the region of New Zealand. So, if you’re looking for a country where people are named after birds that don’t fly… we know a place.The kiwi (Apteryx) – a flightless bird, the symbol of New Zealand Next time you meet a Kiwi, remember they’re named after a bird, not a gooseberry. Before long New Zealanders ate Kiwi brand bacon, banked with Kiwibank, cheered for a horse named Kiwi in the Melbourne Cup and went to bed when ‘The Goodnight Kiwi’ ended TV broadcasting for the day. The New Zealand representative rugby league team was dubbed the Kiwis by a journalist in 1921 and has officially had this name since 1938. As a symbol, the Kiwi bird transcends age, gender, race, and creed, and New Zealanders embraced it. Just like the bird, New Zealanders are resolute, adaptable and just a bit quirky. The nickname ‘Kiwi’ sits perfectly with New Zealanders’ national psyche. During World War I, the polish proved so good it was adopted by the British and American armies, and it wasn’t long before New Zealand soldiers were no longer called Fernlanders or En Zedders, and were called Kiwis instead, a moniker that quickly transferred to New Zealanders in general. He called it Kiwi polish, in honour of the country his wife called home – she hailed from Oamaru. In the early 1900s, a Scottish-born inventor living in Melbourne developed a boot polish that didn’t just shine shoes, it also preserved, waterproofed and softened the leather. By 1908 the kiwi was the dominant symbol for New Zealand in cartoons, especially sporting ones, having replaced images of moa, fern leaves, a small boy and a lion cub.Īnother story about how New Zealanders became Kiwis has its roots in shoe polish. In the same year, the Westminster Gazette also depicted a kiwi and a kangaroo setting off for a colonial conference. This image was repeated by showing a kiwi unable to swallow Wales after the All Blacks’ controversial loss in Cardiff. The first use of a Kiwi to symbolise the nation may have come in cartoon form when the New Zealand Free Lance magazine printed a drawing showing a plucky kiwi that morphed into a moa when the All Blacks defeated Great Britain 15-0 in the first rugby test in 1905. New Zealanders are in fact named after their national bird, the Kiwi, but that’s just part of the story. However, New Zealanders never adopted the name and the gooseberries were known locally as kiwifruit, never ever just ‘kiwi’. People from further afield could be forgiven for thinking New Zealanders were named after a small fuzzy Chinese gooseberry which was renamed as Kiwi in 1959.
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