# Kiwi: Key Facts

> Kiwis (Apteryx australis) are birds found across Oceania. New Zealand's flightless nocturnal bird with nostrils at the tip of its bill.

- **Species:** Kiwi (*Apteryx australis*)
- **Conservation status:** Vulnerable
- **Diet:** Omnivore (earthworms, insects, berries)
- **Habitat:** Native forest, scrubland, and farmland with cover
- **Lifespan:** 25–50 years in the wild
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/kiwi/kiwi-facts/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/kiwi/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The kiwi (Apteryx australis) is a flightless, nocturnal bird found only in New Zealand, roughly the size of a chicken with shaggy, hair-like feathers and no visible wings. Unique among birds, it has nostrils at the very tip of its long bill, which it uses to sniff out earthworms and insects in the soil. It weighs about 1.3 to 3.5 kg and can live 25 to 50 years. Several kiwi species are Vulnerable.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need the full biology — use the [Kiwi profile](https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/kiwi/) instead.

## A bird like no other

The kiwi is one of the world's most unusual birds, so distinctive that it is often described as an honorary mammal. About the size of a chicken and weighing 1.3 to 3.5 kg, it has loose, shaggy feathers that look more like coarse hair, and its wings are so tiny as to be invisible. It has no tail, strong muscular legs, and a body temperature lower than most birds. Kiwi are the smallest of the ratites, the flightless group that includes the ostrich and emu.

## Help protect the Kiwi

The kiwi is listed as Vulnerable, with habitat loss the leading threat to its future.

[Donate to protect habitat](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/appeals/habitats/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/kiwi/kiwi-facts/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.