The Kiwi Bird, New Zealand's Native Bird

Kiwi are the New Zealand's native bird, they are the national bird of New Zealand. Because of the name of the bird, New Zealanders or the people who live in New Zealand are well known as Kiwis.

The kiwi as a symbol first appeared in the late 19th century in New Zealand regimental badges. It was later featured in the badges of the South Canterbury Battalion in 1886 and the Hastings Rifle Volunteers in 1887. Soon after, kiwis appeared in many military badges, and in 1906 when Kiwi Shoe Polish was widely sold in the UK and the USA the symbol became more widely known.

During the First World War, the name "kiwi" for New Zealand soldiers came into general use, and a giant kiwi, (now known as th The Bulford Kiwi), was carved on the chalk hill above Sling Camp in England. Use has now spread so that now all New Zealanders overseas and at home are commonly referred to as "kiwis".

The kiwi has since become the most well-known national symbol for New Zealand, and kiwis are prominent in the coat of arms, crests and badges of many New Zealand cities, clubs and organizations. The New Zealand dollar is often offered to as The Kiwi.

Actually, Kiwi is the nocturnal bird. They get out from their nest and feed in the night. The national bird is a threatened species. Most New Zealanders probably have never seen a live kiwi, and if so it was likely in a kiwi house.

These bird is flightless, it was the main reason why they become rare easily. They are the endangered species in the world. To protect the endangered Kiwi, a number of trusts and protection program have been set up. These including in Karori Sanctuary, The National Park that was set up in Wellington. We can see them in The Karori Sanctuary at the night. The price to enter the park are NZ$ 60, not too expensive to see the endangered bird. The map explain about the habitat of Kiwi.