The flightless Brown Kiwi is New Zealand’s national bird

With spiky feathers that are brown with red streaks, Brown kiwis (Apteryx mantelli) are like the punk rock heroes of the bird world. They love to stay up late because they are nocturnal (nighttime loving) and have a crazy long bill with nostrils at the end.  If that isn’t enough, they produce one of the largest eggs in proportion to its size – their eggs are 15% of the female’s body weight!

Despite all these cool things, the Brown kiwi is endangered. As much as 90% of their population having been lost since the start of the 20^th century. Loss of habitat and the introduction of new predators have spelled trouble for this bird. But today lots of people are working hard to save the Brown kiwi by protecting their habitat.  You can help by sharing their story with friends and family, finding out more about biodiversity or protecting species at risk with your own Bring Back the Wild™ campaign.

http://www.eol.org/pages/130161

Earth Rangers is a non-profit organization that works to inspire and educate children about the environment. At EarthRangers.com kids can play games, discover amazing facts, meet animal ambassadors and fundraise to protect biodiversity.