Discover the Juicy Secrets: Top 13 Fun Facts About Kiwi Fruit You Never Knew!

1. Super Sniffing Kiwis

You know what they say about kiwis – they really nose what's going on down under! With a schnoz more powerful than your favorite superhero and snuffling skills that rival a hungry pig, these quirky birds are born to be digging detectives: Kiwis have a highly developed sense of smell thanks to their large olfactory bulb and can even detect prey's underground movement using sensory pits in their beaks, albeit having to hilariously snort and snuffle to clear the dirt from their nostrils while doing so.
Source => savethekiwi.nz

2. Ancient Kiwi Lifespan

Feeling ancient next to your high school reunion pals? Fret not, for the mighty kiwi is sure to beat you to AARP territory: These flightless, fuzzy wonders can live up to a staggering 50 years, outlasting daunting predators and thumbing their beaks at the dangers in their path.
Source => doc.govt.nz

Did you know the royalty of beans has crowned green beans as the ultimate winner, thanks to their faster growth and higher yield? Discover the fascinating world of beanology! ✨🌱💚

=> Fun Facts about Green-Beans

3. Big Mama Kiwi Eggs

Talk about an eggscruciatingly large baby bump: kiwis lay eggs that are about 15% of their body weight, which can be up to a whopping one pound! These big mamas work hard to create these eggs, waiting 25 to 36 days between laying the first and second, leaving the dads to get busy incubating them for 68 to 91 days.
Source => nationalzoo.si.edu

4. Fuzzy Nighttime Detectives

Forget the majestic ostrich or imposing emu, kiwis are the flightless bird world's undercover agents, operating stealthily under the veil of darkness: These nocturnal, smaller, and shorter-legged cousins rely on their impressive sense of smell and elongated beaks to dig out tasty insects and grubs hiding in the soil.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

5. Feathered Metal Detectors

Kiwi birds, nature's feathered metal detectors, scour the earth with their beaks like tiny, overwhelmed archaeologists on the hunt for buried treasure: These quirky, nocturnal birds possess sensory pits at the tip of their beaks, enabling them to detect prey moving underground through vibrations, while their impressive olfactory bulb - the second largest among all birds - assists them in navigating the dark forest rather than hunting food.
Source => savethekiwi.nz

6. Speed Demon Kiwi

The kiwi: part bird, part speed demon disguised as a fuzzy brown pillow, has left its 'flight or fight' days far behind: This adorable yet unusual bird, with hair-like feathers, a hint of modern-combed mammoths, and a rigorous comprehensive 'no-tail policy,' sprints at secret-agent-grade speeds of up to 30 km/h, flaunting its position as New Zealand's quirky and endearing icon.
Source => doc.govt.nz

7. Elementary Avian Sleuths

If Sherlock Holmes were a bird, he'd be a kiwi: these small, flightless detectives from New Zealand have an unparalleled sense of smell, enabling them to track down meals such as worms, woodlice, and centipedes in the dark using their long, probing bill and whiskers to find food buried up to 12cm deep in the ground – it's elementary for these avian sleuths!
Source => nationalkiwihatchery.org.nz

8. Kiwi's Nose Tips and Maternity Leave

"Follow your nose – it always knows!" must have been the kiwi bird's motto before the internet laid claim to that fruity breakfast cereal: The kiwi has an unusually sharp sense of smell, relying on it to sniff out meals of earthworms and insects, as its nostrils sit at the curved tip of its lengthy bill. Moreover, female kiwis must be the envy of the bird world when it comes to maternity leave, for they lay just one colossal egg per nesting season, weighing a whopping 15% of their body weight!
Source => nationalzoo.si.edu

9. Nocturnal Kiwi Detectives

Never mind sniffer dogs, meet New Zealand's nocturnal detectives: Kiwi birds have a fascinating nose-tip filled with pits that resemble shorebirds in the Scolopacidae family, allowing them to feel vibrations and sniff out buried prey like a mix of Daredevil and Sherlock Holmes on a bad hair day.
Source => ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

10. Kiwi's Cozy Insulation Feathers

Don't let the kiwi's fuzzy appearance deceive you into thinking it's prepping for a hair-raising night out: these unique hair-like feathers, known as afterfeathers, are actually thinly-designed insulation designed to help these flightless wonders navigate dense forests, maintain optimum body temperature, and remain cozy on the chilly forest floor.
Source => zmescience.com

11. Furry-footed Kiwi Sprinters

Who said chickens had the market cornered on frantic scurrying? Nature's most outrageous fuzzy bowling balls, our dear kiwi birds, are here to give them a run for their cluck: Despite their flightless stature, these adorable little avian anomalies are actually quite swift on their furry feet, evading predators like slinky secret agents through the dense undergrowth of their New Zealand habitat.
Source => factanimal.com

12. Survival of the Fluffiest

Talk about empty nest syndrome: Kiwi parents make their freshly-hatched chicks go it alone, leading to a mere 5% survival rate in the wild during their first six months - but fear not, conservation programs like Operation Nest Egg are swooping in to give these little ones a fighting chance.
Source => teara.govt.nz

13. Kiwi Klash: Avian Warfare

Forget cage fighting or wrestling, kiwi birds fight with claw-some enthusiasm in an avian spin-off: Kiwi Klash! : These feisty flightless birds are not meek, employing powerful legs and razor-sharp claws, dishing out painful slashes in territorial brawls and leaving conservation workers sporting battle scars. Kiwi are also swift, intelligent creatures, with territories matching 60 football fields, a needle-nosed beak finely tuned for victuals, and an impressive memory, recalling unpleasant encounters for half a decade.
Source => savethekiwi.nz