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How does a kiwi — a bird the size of a chicken — lay an egg almost as big as itself?

In faraway New Zealand, there lives a strange bird that cannot fly, has almost no tail, and looks like a fluffy ball with a long nose. It is the kiwi - and it is in its honor that the green fruit was named.

The kiwi is a special bird. Its wings are so tiny (5 centimeters) that they are hidden in feathers - they are not even visible. Instead of feathers, it has something like fur. And the kiwi is the only bird with nostrils at the tip of its beak! It sniffs out worms and insects underground like a dog.

But the most amazing thing is the kiwi egg. A female kiwi weighs about 1.5 kilograms. And she carries an egg weighing 400-500 grams. That's A QUARTER of her weight! Imagine: if a human mother weighing 60 kg carried a 15 kg child - that's almost a five-year-old child! For 30 days, the female walks with this huge egg inside. A few days before laying, she can't even eat - there's no room left in her stomach.

Why such a big egg? Because a baby kiwi is born almost an adult right away - with feathers, eyes open, ready to walk. It doesn't need much care. A week later it's already looking for worms on its own!

And interestingly, it is mostly the father who incubates the egg. He sits on it for 75-85 days — the longest period among birds!

The kiwi is the national symbol of New Zealand. The locals even call it «kiwi.» Unfortunately, there are few of these birds left, and people are very protective of them.