The Kiwi

By Hannah 

I am learning to inform my audience through an information report 

What is a national animal of New Zealand that struggles to fly? Yes, it is the very rare New Zealand Kiwi. Did you know in New Zealand there used to be about 12 million Kiwis and now there is only approximately 100,000 left! Many people think that there is only one species of Kiwi but there is actually 5 different types of Kiwis, the North Island Brown Kiwi, Tokoeka, Rowi, Great Spotted Kiwi and Little Spotted Kiwi. Kiwis are about the size of a chicken though the female is 20% larger than the male. The kiwi is known for its not so good eyesight, so this means that other senses are better. Especially their sense of smell that helps them find their food for their habitat that keeps them safe from predators.


Diet
Imagine eating worms everyday for breakfast and dinner, that would be gross. That is what kiwis eat though. But they don’t eat just worms they eat a crazy range of food like eels and frogs, they even eat more disgusting things like small crayfish, seeds, grubs, amphibians and fruit but not kiwi fruit. If you were wondering if the kiwi is a carnivore, omnivore or a herbivore, well kiwis eat both meat and plants so it is a omnivore. Everyone needs to drink water, right? Well kiwis don’t need to drink water because they eat earthworms and they are 85% water! Once they find their food they obviously need somewhere to go to eat or rest after a feast, they need a habitat that will provide not only their meals but somewhere safe.

Habitat
Home sweet home, everyone has somewhere to live that meet their needs, this is known as a habitat. A habitat provides all the needs that a animal in the animal kingdom need. A habitat is were an animal or living organism lives. So what is the Kiwis habitat? Kiwis are native to New Zealand and are pretty adaptable as they live in a range of places all over New Zealand. Kiwis can also not fly so they're habitat have got to be low on the ground. These native new Zealand birds are quite shy and only come out in the night so they are nocturnal. Kiwi are mainly brown in color this is to blend in with the habitat and background, this is known as camouflage. This physical adaptation is used to protect itself against predators.

Predators
Did you know that the kiwi has a strong musty smell that can attract their predators. When New Zealand brought kiwis in to the country they're were no warm blooded predators but now they're are stoats, cats, dogs, ferrets, possums, pigs, hedgehogs, rodents and weasels. How does the Kiwi survive! Well the kiwi has a feature that helps them fight witch is razor sharp claws! But not only animals are killing them but us humans are too. We are animal testing these amazing Kiwis.

As you can see the kiwi is a unique bird that belongs in New Zealand . To keep the Kiwi alive we need to provide a habitat with food and keep them away from their vicious predators. The Kiwi is awesome creature that needs to be protected. The Kiwi is the national bird of New Zealand and we need to make sure the Kiwi is around for a long long time. We must understand the Kiwi’s needs to keep these Kiwis safe.