New Zealand - Kiwi

KIWI
A native bird of New Zealand. Kiwis are nocturnal and are a protected species.

Sent by Michelle, a postcrosser from Christchurch in New Zealand.

This is from Wikipedia : 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 of any species of bird in the world. 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 predators.

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.