There are five species of stout, chicken-sized birds in this family. All species are found in the forests of New Zealand.

Kiwis have long, flexible bills with nostrils at the tip; small, rounded heads; and small, round eyes. They have soft, shaggy, fur-like, grayish brown feathers; tiny wings that are hidden by their feathers; strong legs; and clawed toes on their feet. Unlike most birds, they have very poor eyesight but a good sense of smell!

Kiwis are nocturnal; they use the long rictal bristles at the base of their bill to navigate around in the dark. Kiwis use their long bills to poke in the leaf litter on the forest floor to search for food like worms, insects, crayfish, fruit, and berries.

The female lays 1-2 very large eggs in a burrow in the ground, and the male incubates them for 70-80 days. The chicks, unlike most birds, don’t have an eyetooth and have to kick their way out of their shell with their legs. Kiwi chicks are precocial and feed themselves shortly after birth.