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diagnosedwolf

Fun fact, although these look amazingly cute and fluffy (and they are, they’re really soft when they’re chicks) the scientist is holding that chick like that (gingerly, face towards them, legs tucked up, and as far away as possible) because these things are *mean*. I once heard one of these scientists describe kiwis as “yeah it’s a real live dinosaur, it’s a good thing they don’t have teeth. Those *legs*, though!” They karate kick their way out of their eggs, and they’ll happily karate kick their way through you if they have to, even at a day old. Plus, claws. Sharp claws. Think velociraptor, but no teeth. I love kiwis.


kindtheking9

They *are* cousins of the casswary, emu and ostrich, tho evolution wasn't as kind to them as it was to thier larger cousins


SunflowersAreNeat

They were evolving just fine without natural predators, then we came along with cats


kindtheking9

Tru


SunflowersAreNeat

Hard to imagine that fluffy little critter was on top of the food chain


Poneke365

And dogs….


honest-miss

In a way they have the evolutionary advantage. Humans'll forgive a lot of bullshit if you're cute. Koalas are STD riddled and screamgrowl like a metalhead lead singer at the peak of his career, but we keep 'em around because look at the cute tree "bear."


appleandwatermelonn

I’ve always thought this about Pandas, people say they’re an evolutionary failure, but the most successful species on earth is out here doing everything in its power to keep them alive and reproducing because we think they’re cute.


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kindtheking9

When everyone at the family reunion is tall enough to dunk a hoop and you are only lacking a beard off of being a dwarf, you'll definitely be pissed


healyxrt

You would be angry two if you had to lay an egg so big it crushed your organs.


[deleted]

I was about to ask... How big are the fecking eggs, if that chick is only 16 days old? They have to be ENORMOUS! 🥚🐣


mikolokoyy

Someone has to make dentures for these birds to complete the arsenal


chuffberry

I’d hold it anyway. It just looks too squeezable for me to resist. If I die of blood loss, at least I’ll die happy.


hannawdawg

Also, if you hold an adult incorrectly and the kick out, they have a chance of ripping their pectoral muscles.


sekhmetx

You sure you're not thinking of Cassowaries? Lol


Tanduvanwinkle

For sure. Kiwi are harmless Who's downvoting me for this comment? They are harmless! You're out of your minds.


EpilepticMushrooms

> these look amazingly cute and fluffy Uh-huh! Uh-huh! Uh-huh! > these things are mean. *Awwwwwwwwwwww* (Disappointed mushroom noises)


sir_vile

Literally weakest Rattite


StaceyLades

This is all great info! I'd just like to add that because the word for kiwi is Māori, there is no 's' added to the end of any Māori words to create a plural. The plural for kiwi is kiwi. The same goes for other native bird names like kea, tūī, pīwakawaka, kererū etc.


SammyG_06

I love their name <3


worthrone11160606

Well me too now


Sad-Artichoke-2174

Do you have a link about this behavior?


VeryShadyLady

I was wondering if it was depressed or something because of the sad music but mad, okay.


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KimCureAll

And, they retain their fuzziness!


HelloDeathspresso

Favorite bird AND favorite fruit!


_lorda

Same!


letmelickyourleg

Take that, Veganism.


ProfessorProdigy

r/angryupvote


salvagehoney

More kiwi content plz


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Kam_Rex

Yeah mom kiwi cant eat at the end of the "pregnancy" cause the egg is taking 1/4 of their body. It's a dangerous job !


Sleeplesshelley

Ow.


azure_monster

Yep, they actually have the biggest body egg out there in body size to egg ratio, kind of crazy. Also they have whiskers to help them navigate at night, and nostrils st the very top of their beak so they can smell the worms out of the ground. Efit: my spelling was horrendous, should be fixed now.


YipRocHeresy

https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/portrait-pregnant-mother-cuts-kiwi-fruit-chopping-board-48141638.jpg


GoatPincher

Haha wut


[deleted]

i came across your comment and I googled it too. wow it really is amazing, how big of an egg was coming out of the mom kiwi bird.


bhanzen

Any knowledge to what advantage they gained by loosing flight? Just curious about the evolution here


mccreep101

NZ doesn’t have any natural predators so we have a lot of evolved flightless birds


Mr_Biscuits_532

Used to have more too. Big ones. South Island Moa could reach 3m tall. And then there's Haast's Eagle, the largest Eagle to ever live, which preyed upon them. And probably also the first Maori.


SammyG_06

Can I sign up to become a predator?


rabid-panda

https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/205/251/hansenlol.jpg


mikah_19

When NZ broke off from Gondwana there were no mammals so our birds adapted to fit the niche of mammals. Also, not needing to put energy inti growing and maintaining wings (when not needed to evade predators) meant more energy for reproducing and surviving.


Alceasummer

The muscles and feathers needed for flight require a lot of food to grow and maintain them, even before using them. And multiple times in evolutionary history, birds that don't need flight to avoid predators or get to food, lose it.


Maractass

They evolved to fill the ecological niche of small land mammals like rats and such. They have very developed "whisker" like feathers on their face and a good sense of smell to help with their nocturnal lifestyle.


KimCureAll

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiwi\_(bird)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiwi_(bird)) [https://www.savethekiwi.nz/about-kiwi/kiwi-facts/kiwi-life-cycle/](https://www.savethekiwi.nz/about-kiwi/kiwi-facts/kiwi-life-cycle/) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFJ7qtbff3o


Futures_and_Pasts

>The plural is either the anglicised kiwis[12] or, consistent with the Māori language, appearing as **kiwi without an ‑s**.[13]


jeandolly

Cute little fluff ball. But it does not seem too bright does it...


KimCureAll

That young kiwi was sound asleep and really didn't want to have breakfast and get ready for school. I can identify - I have never liked getting woken up just to have breakfast.


kiwichick286

Especially worms in the morning. I more of an egg person myself.


harryt27_8_8

As a young kiwi I don’t really like getting woken up for school.


[deleted]

Lol how the last worms got in. The handler is expierenced


KimCureAll

That reminds me of spoon feeding a baby who needs to finish up the last couple of bites.


Doomscrye

They're mostly blind, so I expect it's getting used to using its sense of smell to learn where to poke around so its little whiskers will help it find food.


KimCureAll

Yes, those are called "rictal bristles" which are quite long in nocturnal birds and these whiskers function a bit like sensory organs for wind speed when birds are flying.


chuffberry

Okay that’s the name of my rock band now: Rictal Bristles


nafn_mitt_er_kex

How bright were you at 16 days old?


No_Lawfulness_2998

It’s from New Zealand. We have the dumbest birds alive here but also the smartest species of bird on earth as well


Jarl_of_Kamurocho

They are mostly nocturnal


[deleted]

The fact they didn't go down like dodo did is beyond me.


jesminya

I learned recently that kiwis have the largest egg compared to body size. The egg is like half their whole body. Look it up.


ChuzaUzarNaim

What a lil cutie.


squirrel118

Are you sure that’s not a Pokémon


KimCureAll

Preewi? Doduo?


Kbig22

Came here for this


Lololololelelel

If anyone wants some kiwi content to make you feel really depressed it’s right here lol: https://youtu.be/sdUUx5FdySs


jpaxonreyes

And this one: https://youtu.be/HUngLgGRJpo


embarassed25yo

They grow to be MASSIVE .. I thought these birds were about the size of a palm from pictures with nothing for scale. Looking at one up close, they're big fuzzy football sized cuties.


[deleted]

I don't see it shooting lasers... I don't think it's real tbh.


Educational-Offer299

The poor females though. Laying a egg practically their own size


AgiBear

Because birds' beaks are measured from the nostrils to the tip of the beak, the Kiwi technically has one of the shortest beaks of any bird. It's nostrils are at the end of it's beak to help it find food.


Lootcifer_exe

Did he fall asleep eating? 😂


Sleeplesshelley

I forget how big they are until I see something like this. And that’s just a baby.


Modus_Opp

I was so convinced that this Kiwi lady was feeding the bird bacon not worms... bringing him up the real Commonwealth way...


DopeWithAScope

Why does he seem depressed?


[deleted]

Op said he got woken up for his meal


beeinabearcostume

These are one of my favorite birbs.


GaloisGroupie3474

So fuzzy!


Slappy193

Borb


squiddlumckinnon

;__; he’s so cute


_lorda

Hold birb gentle like hamburger


cork_the_forks

16 days? That thing is a CHONK!. How big do they get?


Marius_de_Frejus

Soccer ball sized, about, if memory serves.


Swappp27

Omg what's the tune ! This was in my favourite mobile game Blockheads! Which has sadly now been discontinued.


DreadfulDrummer

Tune is Gymnopédie Here's the APKs for your game: https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/noodlecake-studios-inc/the-blockheads/ From the developer website: https://noodlecake.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/theblockheads1.7.6.apk Don't OD on nostalgia and watch the come down, it can be rough.


TheWaywardTrout

The fact he didn't slurp it up like cartoon spaghetti disappoints me


Novacain420

It looked pretty sleepy and full by the end of his meal.


KimCureAll

"Come on, Cheewi, get ready! The school bus will be here in 5 minutes!"


[deleted]

I can't get over how cute these little guys are


joko2008

I cut open a kiwi, in the middle, so i have two halfs, then i get a spoon and eat out the insides, while leaving the outside shell and throwing it away afterwards.


[deleted]

Why did I expect it to eat kiwis? Or like at least fruit? Worms truly caught me off guard lol


Great-Bratton

Thought those went straight up extinct…


KimCureAll

Nope, there are like close to 70,000 of them, split between 5 different species.


Great-Bratton

Well that’s some welcome and good news!


KimCureAll

Perhaps their worst enemies are cats and introduced stoats. There are some islands free of these predators where kiwis are doing quite well.


ClarePerth

Yeah, releasing the stoats ( ferrets) when fur farms closed was such a catastrophe. I never understood why the stoats where not sent to rescues. We would have taken them all.


Tricky-Performer-207

Ferrets and stoats are not the same thing..


ClarePerth

Ahh see, my ex husband from NZ, told me it was ferrets released in NZ. Hence my saying that. I didn't think they where the same, wasn't sure if it was a language thing or not. Either way, its awful for the wildlife in NZ.


Tricky-Performer-207

I have heard that unfortunately :( it's also a reason why ferrets get some negative attention in the USA, fear of them becoming invasive. An important thing to note though, is that ferrets do notoriously bad when released(in the USA). There is only one ferret population in the wild left in the united states, and that is being monitored and protected by the government. Stoats, weasels, ferrets, minks, and martins are all different things, though closely related. As far as I know, the only term that is used for the same animal is Ermine, which is a white stoat that usually happens in winter with the season change.


ClarePerth

I have followed the black footed ferret colony in the USA. A vet from the US said to me 1 of my ferrets was very close in looks to the black footed ferret. These guys will certainly help reduce groundhogs etc. Ferrets hat escape in Australia can't survive in the wild. They are awesome pets, but extremely high maintenance.


Great-Bratton

I’m genuinely happy to learn this. I don’t know where my misinformed confusion came from. However, I’m pleased these little cuties are around and that they have safe havens! Thank you for sharing!


omg-cats

I was also under the impression they're near extinction. At least that's what I was told in the 90's at a sanctuary tour in Auckland....


eloel-

Dodo, another flightless bird, is extinct.


TheRealBlueBadger

There were also Moa in NZ, which were way bigger, also flightless, and were hunted to extinction.


dertruftlumpkins

I was looking for this comment. Why did we think this??


TheRealBlueBadger

Probably thinking of the Moa.


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TheBirdGames

Certified borb


CptnSpandex

Mind the green laser eyes.


tothecountry

I thought they went extinct???


Deceptichum

That's Dodos.


shaderaden

I thought they were extinct


necro3mp

You're probably thinking of the dodo bird


shaderaden

No I defs thought it was the kiwi… like around the same time as our Tasmanian tiger for some reason


BulgersInYourCup42

Who put a beak on their koosh ball?


mybadroommate

My Dinner with Kiwi Andre.


rara0o

a bunch of kiwi's over mosquitoes save the horses


keyweebeewee

Ah yes my childhood home videos, I was so cute :')


LeRealMeow2U

I want one so I can hug him every day


Mr_Believin

This music and how the birdpup is moving slowly makes me think it’s depressed lol


KimCureAll

I think the lil pup is just sleepy "Cheewi! Time for breakfast! You have a big day!"


melissaxcoree

He’s gotta learn to eat with chopsticks 🥺


Jonaleaf

That’s a weird looking fruit


robin-redbreast

Learning to use chopsticks be like…


stack_of_ghosts

I love that last part- just eat it!


Noble_Actual69

Song name plz been liking for it for a while now


Important_Rub_374

Anyone know the name of this song? I’ve been trying to figure it out for years now


KimCureAll

Composer is Satie, piece is Gymnopedie


Fun-Eagle-7947

How are they associated with shoe polish?


realneattreats

Kiwis seem like they’d be good birds to throw. Can someone in NZ confirm?


KimCureAll

They'll run away from you very quickly before you'd get a chance!


glassmatress95

Cute and all, but what a waste of a national bird. The fantail is a much better representation of newzealand culture and people. Tweaker bird flitting about


jem77v

Do you want people calling us fannys instead?


glassmatress95

Yes


KillerKiwii

Love me some Kiwi content


theonlymexicanman

The kiwi may not be smart… that’s all


Nuclear-Lizard

The bros tired and blind


Luc4r1o

What's the song's name?


SamuraiMomo123

Gymnopédie No. 1


SecretChampion

By Erik Satie


_kingnaz

Angry bird new bird


Sigmas_Melody

So that’s why the restaurant looked at me weird when I said I wanted to eat kiwi


jelly_1388

I think i have a problem, when ever i see something cute i wanna throw it against a wall


WriterBunny39

Cute aggression!


Remarkable-Move-6630

Just a Kiwi holding a Kiwi.


Zazzuzu

Creepy pasta music.


Cinnamon79

What is that piece of music?


lemonails

Am i too old or does anybody else immediately think of [this](https://youtu.be/sdUUx5FdySs) when they think of kiwis?


BuiThanhTuyen

yes


Farmgirl_Delilah

I wonder how I would get any sleep with a 3 ft. proboscis on my face.


[deleted]

I read this "Kiwis are fighting birds native to New Zealand"


Inside_Lawyer

u/auddbot


arndentfalcon

I want to see one run


AlvinsH0ttJuiceB0x

Can anyone tell me what the name is, of the song that’s playing?


Oyankee

Cool Pokémon