Did you know that Kiwi birds have poor eyesight?  I thought since they are nocturnal birds they would have really good night vision. But I learned through some online research that it is not at all true.

The Kiwi bird is a native of New Zealand and endemic to that island nation. That means it does not live anywhere else in the world, except in zoos.   I first wrote about it at my bird blog and the interest from my readers has motivated me to look further into these cute little characters.

Their sense of smell is heightened. Cool. These flightless birds with almost NO wings have nostrils at the END of their bill and use their super olfactory sense to find food in the leaf litter and soil.  According to the SanDiego Zoo, where I observed them in a special nocturnal exhibit, when Kiwi Birds are frightened they hide. That is to be expected, but they often hide in burrows, like their nests and stick out their bills to sniff the air nearby to decide if the coast is clear and it is safe to come out.

These special birds are full of surprises.