Kiwi

Kiwi are flightless birds endemic to New Zealand, in the genus Apteryx and family Apterygidae.

At around the size of a domestic chicken, kiwi are by far the smallest living ratites and lay the largest egg in relation to their body size.^[2] There are five recognised species, all of which are endangered; all species have been adversely affected by historic deforestation but currently large areas of their forest habitat are well protected in reserves and national parks; at present, the greatest threat to their survival is predation by invasive mammalian species.

The kiwi is a national symbol of New Zealand - indeed, the association is so strong that the term Kiwi is used, all over the world, as the colloquial demonym for New Zealanders.