Many countries choose national animals that represent their culture for the rest of the world to see. Some are powerful beasts like tigers and wolves. Some have wings like eagles and dragons. New Zealand, on the other hand, chose the kiwi. Why would a country want to be known for a cute but small bird that can’t even fly?
These days, “Kiwi” is a term for a person from New Zealand. But the origins of the kiwi as the national bird come from the culture of the native Maori people. The Maori have long held the bird in high regard, going so far as to use the bird’s feathers to make special cloaks worn by chiefs and other people of high rank. Maoris believed kiwis to be the “hidden bird” of the god of the forest.
To New Zealanders, the kiwi symbolizes their uniqueness. This bird is not found anywhere else in the natural world and is unusual in many ways. For example, kiwi chicks leave the nest after only five days and feed themselves instead of depending on their parents.