Kiwi takes a nap in Far North woman's chicken coop

April 30, 2024 4:07 AM

Kiwi takes a nap in Far North woman's chicken coop (New Zealand/Aotearoa).
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries (22 comments total)

Your enzed vocabulary for the day:

Ranchslider (n)
A kind of sliding glass door with a moving panel that slides behind a fixed panel.
posted by zamboni at 4:15 AM on April 30 [7 favorites]

"kiwi avoidance training"
posted by SoberHighland at 4:32 AM on April 30 [4 favorites]

Coincidentally, I also just saw this: 'Quite a big creature': Kiwi bird surprises sawmill workers - from the first photo, I realized that kiwi birds can be much bigger than I thought!
posted by moonmilk at 5:00 AM on April 30 [10 favorites]

armless little gremlins. I love them.
posted by tofu_crouton at 5:18 AM on April 30 [3 favorites]

I love the pic in moonmilk's link that's just a blur. That's a kiwi alright.
posted by tofu_crouton at 5:19 AM on April 30 [3 favorites]

kiwi birds look like they escaped from looney tunes into the real world and I’m here for it
posted by cabbage raccoon at 5:48 AM on April 30 [3 favorites]

They seem so adorably gormless - I'm glad people are taking care of them.
posted by Fuchsoid at 5:49 AM on April 30

And they make the cutest little noises! Team Kiwi over here.
posted by orrnyereg at 6:06 AM on April 30

Also, this lady's chooks are lucky it wasn't Laser Kiwi.
posted by orrnyereg at 6:07 AM on April 30

I love kiwis. We went to NZ years ago, long before the Hobbits arrived, and went to a kiwi sanctuary where they keep it dark inside during the day so you can see them (if you can pick them out in the dark). I love their roundness and their long beaks. Or as tofu_crouton so aptly described them "armless little gremlins." So cute.
posted by ceejaytee at 6:21 AM on April 30 [3 favorites]

Another vote for "wow, those are bigger than I thought".

I wonder if kiwi fruit established an unwarranted expectation of kiwi bird size.
posted by AzraelBrown at 6:21 AM on April 30 [2 favorites]

I wonder if kiwi fruit established an unwarranted expectation of kiwi bird size.

Wait 'til you see Chinese geese.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 6:32 AM on April 30 [8 favorites]

Heh. Given that “Kiwi” is often used as a slang term for New Zealander the headline evoked a very different image for me than what it was.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 6:40 AM on April 30 [2 favorites]

The visitor woke up at one point and embarked on "a bit of an adventure", making its way down a chicken tunnel to a second coop where it curled up for another nap.

Later in the day it wandered back to the comfort of the nesting box.

My spirit animal.
posted by howbigisthistextfield at 6:42 AM on April 30 [3 favorites]

I love these posts from down under.
posted by Czjewel at 7:19 AM on April 30

ceejaytee (if you can pick them out in the dark)
Confirm: when I worked in Blijdorp Zoo Rotterdam, even with the day-for-night lighting regime, kiwis were the second least obvious attraction. The least obvious was the entirely missing octopus [MetaPrev]
posted by BobTheScientist at 7:32 AM on April 30 [5 favorites]

I wonder if kiwi fruit established an unwarranted expectation of kiwi bird size.

I feel personally attacked
posted by inflatablekiwi at 10:19 AM on April 30 [10 favorites]

Far North in Western Australia is a different concept than in WA state USA where Far North is Alaska. And kiwis are like the capybaras of flightless birds. Although far likely far less amiable than their rodent counterpart ls.
posted by y2karl at 12:59 PM on April 30

Wait 'til you see Chinese geese.

A+++
posted by Pickman's Next Top Model at 2:55 PM on April 30 [1 favorite]

Far North in Western Australia is a different concept than in WA state USA where Far North is Alaska. And kiwis are like the capybaras of flightless birds. Although far likely far less amiable than their rodent counterpart ls.

This is actually Far North New Zealand.

Australia has no kiwi birds outside of zoos.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 5:50 PM on April 30

Yes. Sometimes referred to as "the winterless north" here, because the climate is nearly sub-tropical. New Zealand is a long thin country that spans nearly 1000 miles north to south so the variance in climate is quite marked.

Kiwis are pretty feisty. They have good digging claws, and they're capable of defending themselves against introduced mammalian predators, up to a point. Unfortunately their eggs are still vulnerable, and roaming dogs can easily hunt and take a kiwi. And up north, roaming and feral dogs are a problem. Hence the mention in the RNZ article linked in a comment above about the dog-free sanctuary area.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 7:46 PM on April 30

Another Kiwi turns up in suburban back yard - I didn't expect it to be that large'
posted by phigmov at 10:47 PM on May 1 [1 favorite]