KIWI

I went to the National Kiwi Hatchery in Rotorua, Aotearoa yesterday, and I can't recommend it enough if you can go during the hatching season. We got to watch little baby kiwi, Blinky Bill, get their daily weigh in, I felt blessed (Kiwis are nocturnal and to get to see them up close is a privilege). The photo above is not Blinky Bill but another kiwi who went through the program, who was unable to walk comfortably due to a foot deformity, but they made them little orthopedic bird shoes, and they worked.

Edit: if you want to donate to the National Kiwi Hatchery click here. One of the more expensive donations allows you to name a kiwi, if you want to name one after your blorbo.

"What is to come"

(image id is both in the alt text and below the read more- I put it under one because it's incredibly long)

And so there we have it, the 200+ followers artpiece that I have been working on for several days, if I had to guess I'd say it took 25 or so hours over eleven days. Honestly it's so surreal to me that I'm here with over 200 followers (260 as of typing this- yes, I procrastinated on this), especially when I only hit 100 followers in February. It's genuinely really nice to know that people are actually interested in my art (before anyone brings up spam bots- I know there are a few of them amongst my followers but I've checked most of them and I am 100% confident that over 200 of them are real). I don't really have much else to say really- I'm just grateful to have the support. Thanks y'all :).

[Image id: a large, lineless digital drawing of several dinosaurs. It is nighttime. At the bottom of the piece, a lone Eoraptor lunensis is walking across the floodplains- both the ground and the Eoraptor are just silhouettes, the early dinosaur has been given protofeathers. The full moon is shining, it's size is exaggerated for artistic affect. Behind the moon, the heads of sixteen different dinosaurs can be seen (listed left to right, bottom to top) Row 1- Thecodontosaurus antiquus (small sauropodomorph with light brown protofeathers, near-white undersides, straight stripes that are moderately darker than the base colour and vibrant green eyes), Coelophysis bauri (small early theropod with a long and narrow skull, its protofeathers are golden and black. A soft orange stripe runs across the back of its head, it has warm brown eyes. Row 2- Plateosaurus trossingensis (long-necked sauropodomorph, it has reddish-brown scales, light undersides, triangular stripes running down it's spine that get bigger the further down they get and pale yellow eyes), Heterodontosaurus tuckii (small ornithopod with a hooked grey beak. It has spiky green feathers, a lighter chest and a darker stripe running along its head and back, there are three small spots on its face, two behind the eye and one infront of it, it's eyes are bright yellow). Row 3- Megalosaurus bucklandii (medium-sized theropod with warm brown feathers, lighter undersides, dark spots and bright yellow eyes, there are several scars on its face), Brachiosaurus altithorax (greenish-grey true sauropod with lighter undersides, a dark pink patch on its throat, dark desaturated brown eyes and a few small scars on its neck), Archaeopteryx (early toothed bird with a black head, white neck and bright yellow eyes). Row 4- Hylaeosaurus armatus (pale brown ankylosaur with lighter undersides and vibrant green eyes), Velociraptor mongoliensis (dromaeosaur with light brown feathers, a lighter chest, a black stripe near its eye and light green eyes), Sinosauropteryx prima (small compsognathid theropod with ginger protofeathers, an off white mask and undersides and pale yellow eyes), Iguanodon bernissartensis (large greenish-grey ornithopod with a slightly darker back, pale undersides, a grey beak, and yellow eyes). Row 5- Matuku otagoense (heron with medium grey feathers and a small crest. A red stripe runs from just behind its nostrils to about a third of the way down its neck. Its undersides are white, its beak is grey and its eyes are brown), Triceratops prorsus (three-horned ceratopsian with grey-brown scales, lighter undersides, two triangular stripes between it's brow and nasal horns, reddish-orange diamond-like stripes on its frill, a hooked grey beak and golden eyes. Its brow horns curve forward at the base. Row 6- North Island brown kiwi (plump brown bird with a long pale beak, whiskers and black eyes, its nostrils are at the tip of its bill, and unlike the other dinosaurs in the sky part of its body below the neck is visible), male house sparrow (small redish-brown and grey bird with a black bib below it's bill), it has brown eyes and a dark grey bill. Row 7- rock dove (grey bird with iridescent green feathers scattered across its neck, a dark grey beak, and warm brown eyes). end id]

North Island Brown Kiwi

North Island brown kiwi from Te Ika-a-Māui (North Island), Aotearoa (New Zealand)

Miwi the MailCarrier Kiwi!

Look at them go!

North Island Brown Kiwi

Posting birds until I hit post limit: North Island brown kiwi

Unlike most other birds, kiwis have their nostrils at the end of their beak. This helps them sniff out bugs living in the ground, which they eat.

Oceania Pack! ♡

Screenshots from the offical planet zoo twitter!

BOTD: North Island Brown Kiwi

^Image credit: Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust, Wikipedia

North Island Brown Kiwi (apteryx mantelli)

The North Island Brown Kiwi is the most common species of Kiwi bird. It holds the record for laying the largest eggs relative to its body size. They have tiny wings and no tail, giving them a rather goofy, unbalanced appearance.

Mantell’s Apteryx (Apteryx mantelli) | Joseph Wolf | Zoological sketches v.1 (1861) | Biodiversity Heritage Library | Flickr | Public domain

new zealand speaks, but tumblr decides

hiii I love your birds

can I get a kiwi? they're so silly :3

day 24

today's bird is the north island brown kiwi!

- the north island brown kiwi holds the record for largest eggs relative to body size! (about 15% of their body weight)

- they have unusually large ears

- they have a strong sense of smell, which they use to track down their prey

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

If you have poor eyesight, you have something in common with the kiwi! This species of bird is nocturnal, and they rely on other senses light smell and hearing to find their prey. As a result, most kiwis have extremely poor vision, and there's even small but healthy population of completely blind individuals. The best part? Scientists believe the gene responsible for the reduction in vision is the Sonic hedgehog gene.

(Image: A North Island brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli) by Tui de Roy)

If you like what I do, consider leaving a tip or buying me a ko-fi!

north island brown kiwi from planet zoo :]

5/5

holy shit. a guy

the fact that there are still only ten and until a few weeks ago only eight is... something. anyways...