There are over 11,000 species of birds on this planet and just one is tailless. Have you learnt who she is?
Kiwi
The Latin identify of the chicken is Apteryx, which accurately means “wingless”. The origin of the time period is from historical Greek, the place the primary letter “a” means “lack” and the remainder of the phrase means “wing”. The identify “kiwi” comes from the Maori language, from whose homeland the chicken originated.
Kiwi is the one genus within the household of Lepidoptera within the order Kiwipodidae. It’s distributed solely on the territory of New Zealand. The genus features a whole of 5 endemic species, all of that are threatened with extinction. Though they name the kiwi a “chicken with out wings”, this isn’t precisely the case. The wings of the kiwi usually are not utterly absent, however they’ve tailored to a terrestrial life-style. The kiwi has a attribute construction of its feathers, their hairs are related with “hooks” and characterize a posh construction that permits the chicken to fly or swim, preserving its vitality as a lot as attainable.
The Kiwi is endangered
There are solely about 68,000 kiwi birds left on this planet. Yearly their quantity decreases by about 2% per yr. Due to this fact, New Zealand adopted a plan to extend the variety of this species that inhabits its territory. In 2017, the New Zealand authorities adopted the Kiwi Restoration Plan 2017-2027, the aim of which is to extend the variety of birds to 100,000 in 15 years. Within the nation, the chicken is taken into account a nationwide icon.
What does a kiwi chicken seem like?
The kiwi is the dimensions of a home hen, it could attain as much as 65 cm in size, at a peak of greater than 45 cm. Their weight varies from 1 to 9 kg, with a median chicken weighing 3 kg. The kiwi has a pear-shaped physique and a small head with a large neck. The chicken’s eyes are additionally small, not more than 8 mm in diameter. As well as, the kiwi has the poorest eyesight of all birds. The beak of the kiwi is restricted – very lengthy, skinny and delicate. In males, it reaches as much as 105 mm, and in females – as much as 120 mm. The kiwi is the one chicken whose nostrils usually are not on the base, however on the tip of the beak.
Kiwi wings are stunted and about 5 cm lengthy. On the finish of the wings they’ve a small claw and are utterly hidden underneath the thick wool. On the ft, the chicken has 3 toes ahead and one turned backward, like the remainder of the species. The fingers finish in sharp claws. The kiwi runs very quick, even sooner than a human.
Photograph: Smithsonian’s Nationwide Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC