Answers to our Kiwi questions from Orana Park

We were very excited this week to receive answers from the Kiwi house keeper at Orana Park.  We emailed our questions to them earlier this term.  This is what they told us:

Hi All

Sorry for the delay but we are flat out with education programmes! Here are some quick answers for your questions;

Where did kiwis first come from?

Australia!

What does a kiwi skeleton look like?

Attached picture will show you – basically a bird but WITHOUT a ‘keel’ on the breastbone as it doesn’t fly.

Do they walk slowly or fast?

Generally walk quite slowly as they feed

Can they run?

Run very fast – maybe 40km/h

Where do they live?

Almost anywhere with trees and shrubs and without stoats and dogs!

Do they ever go wild - why are some tame?

They are all wild, and should be wild,  unless they have had a lot of contact with people because they were injured, for example.

Do they have sharp claws?

The claws are VERY sharp and about 15mm long!

What do they do when they have a baby?

They lay the biggest egg for their size of any bird, dad will sit on it for 85 days to keep it warm and then it stays in Mum and Dads burrow for about 6 weeks before heading out to fend for themselves.

What do they do at night time in a kiwi house?

During OUR night it is their daytime – so they sleep! In THEIR night time, OUR daytime, they do exactly as they would in the wild…wander about finding and eating bugs, berries worms etc

What do wild kiwis do at night?

wander about finding and eating bugs, berries worms etc

How do they talk? What noise do they make?

They have a very loud call