Sure, they're the national symbol of New Zealand - you'll find them on our stamps, our one-dollar coins and even our shoe polish - but we bet you didn't know these five fun facts about kiwi.
They're romantics at heart
Kiwi are among the few species that live as monogamous couples,
often keeping the same mate for life - between 10 and 30 years. That said, kiwi couples are still independent, spending half their lives going their separate ways.
They lay giant eggs
Never judge a book by its cover - kiwi may be tiny, but they lay the largest eggs, proportionally speaking, of any bird in the world. Relative to its body size, the kiwi lays eggs six times bigger than other birds its size, with a single kiwi egg taking up about 20 per cent of the female bird's body (human babies only take up five per cent of the mother's body).
They have strange nostrils...
While most birds have nostrils at the base of their beaks (near their head), kiwi have nostrils at the tip of their nose - like the majority of mammals. The reason? To find worms and other bugs in the dirt.
...and whiskers
Everyone knows kiwi are nocturnal animals, but few may be aware that when their strangely-shaped noses fail them, their feline-esque whiskers help to navigate the dark to find nourishment on the forest floor. Meow.
