A photo from open sources
We are always interested in flightless birds. How did they lose their ability to fly and what did they gain instead of this? In the case of penguins or ostriches, the answer is clear: the first swim well, the second run fast. And what about kiwi? What, in turn, these small, living in New Zealand birds?
Just say, kiwi did not get its name from known to us fruits – the situation was just the opposite. Plant on New Zealand land was imported from China at the beginning of the 20th century, birds have lived here for centuries. So what are they kiwi?
A photo from open sources
These cute creatures have a pear-shaped body that covers gray hair rather than feathers, inconspicuous wings, very long narrow beak. Its weight and size are not tailless kiwi exceeds ordinary chicken. Generally confuse this bird with any other is completely impossible.
The ability to disguise nearly ruined the kiwi
Unfortunately, even wandering long in the wilds of New Zealand, you hardly meet kiwi. These birds do not just have a night look life, they are true masters of stealth. In areas that Kiwi occupy (from two to one hundred hectares), they constantly tear out everything new and new shelters – usually shallow, good masked mink. Relatively large birds create whole underground labyrinths with many exits.
A photo from open sources
In the afternoon, kiwi leave their burrows only under immediate threat for their life; at night to find an inconspicuous gray-brown bird to a person is almost impossible. But predators without difficulty cope with this task: they are helped by a strong, mushroom-like the smell that kiwi feathers emit. By this smell they are found Cats, dogs, and weasels brought to New Zealand.
It turns out a paradox: because of the ability to hide well, a kiwi almost became extinct, because scientists for a long time could not objectively assess their plight. However, at the end of the last century this was done, and since then the situation has begun to improve.
The ability to fly is only protection from enemies, but not good
Many people think flying is the best invention. mother nature, which is impossible to refuse. IN real ability to fly requires any living creatures of considerable victims. He must have a light body (which means fragile hollow bones), a certain shape of feathers and complex digestive system. Now you understand why our Domestic bird?
It is not surprising that, once in an isolated land area, where there are no natural predators, birds prefer faster get rid of all the inconvenience associated with aeronautics. So everything goes perfectly, but only until the moment when predators get on this site. This situation is sad illustrated the history of shrubby wrens from the island Stevens in the same New Zealand.
A photo from open sources
If you recall the Mauritian dodo (extinct flightless bird), managed to “evolve” in the opposite direction to absolute inability to defend oneself, then, unlike him, kiwi is quite kept fighting spirit. At night, males aggressively defend their territory armed with sharp, razor-like, claws and beak. And do not be so defenseless against predators, their chicks, at the kiwi, perhaps there would be no particular problems with survival populations.
Descending from heaven to earth, these birds were able to gradually adapt to new conditions of existence. For example, few of their flightless relatives is comparable to kiwi in the ability to find prey. And let the vision of these birds is unimportant, but the sense of smell and hearing just great.
A photo from open sources
We can say that kiwi survived thanks in part to their natural courage, in part – to the timely intervention of people seeking fix your own mistake. These birds are quite comfortable Feel on specialized farms and in zoos; in in vivo their number has also increased slightly over the last time. Rounded, fluffy and mobile, the kiwi seemed to be specially created for our love, causing invariable delight and tenderness as among tourists and New Zealanders themselves.
A photo from open sources
Bird Time
