KIWIS, KIWIS, AND KIWIS

Kiwi is a very popular word in the country of New Zealand. Kiwi can be used when referring to people, a type of bird, or a piece of fruit.

The People

New Zealanders are internationally referred to by the nickname, Kiwi. The first group to have been nicknamed Kiwis, were members of the New Zealand regimental military. Eventually all New Zealanders had come to be known by the nickname. The name of the native people was derived from the name of New Zealand's national bird. When used to describe people, the first letter is always capitalized and the plural form is listed as Kiwis.

The Bird

A flightless bird, indigenous to New Zealand, the kiwi is also recognized as the national bird. However, it is a partly nocturnal and enigmatic bird so many native people have never seen it in the wild. Grown kiwi measure to be about the size of a chicken. They have no tail and small, useless wings. Possessing a flexible long, thin bill, the kiwi has an amazing sense of smell. They eat grubs, insects, berries, and seeds. Despite their inability to fly, kiwi can outrun people with their three-toed feet which have sharp claws, enabling the kiwi to fight off any attackers.

There are five types of kiwi found in the country, including the Brown Kiwis, Little Spotted Kiwi, and the Great Spotted Kiwi. Breeding takes place in late winter to summer and the male is responsible for the eleven-week incubation of the eggs. A chick will remain in the nest up to ten days after hatching. Kiwis have been known to live up to twenty years in age.

Before humans inhabited the land, the kiwi were without natural predators. However, their numbers were markedly decreased when they began to get captured by the thousands and taken to zoos and museums, killed for their feathers, or when clearing the land forced the kiwi out of its natural habitat. Today there is space designated for the kiwi to live without interruption, ensuring the kiwi numbers will increase over time and the country is dedicated to make certain their national bird continues to thrive.

The Fruit

The kiwi, or kiwifruit, is a small, oval fruit with a brownish skin and bright green or gold flesh filled with black, edible seeds. It has a sweet, yet tart, flavor.

First discovered in China and once known as the Chinese Gooseberry, the kiwi was brought to New Zealand by a native missionary who had visited China. The fruit was renamed "kiwifruit" for marketing purposes. Taking the name of the national bird, the kiwifruit began to be commercially cultivated and produced in New Zealand. In places outside of New Zealand, the word "fruit" is usually left out and most people refer to the fruit as simply the kiwi, as it is more widely recognized and does not easily get confused with the kiwi bird outside of New Zealand.

Kiwifruit is full of more Vitamin C than an equal amount of an orange and is available year round since the California season is between November and May and the New Zealand kiwi crop begins in June until October.