Kiwi (pronounced ) or
kiwis are
flightless birds native to
New Zealand, in the
genus Apteryx and family
Apterygidae. At around the size of a domestic chicken, kiwi are by far the smallest living
ratites (which also consist of
ostriches,
emus,
rheas, and
cassowaries), and lay the largest
egg in relation to their body size of any species of bird in the world. DNA sequence comparisons have yielded the surprising conclusion that kiwi are much more closely related to the extinct Malagasy
elephant birds than to the
moa with which they shared New Zealand. There are five recognised species, two of which are currently
vulnerable, one of which is
endangered, and one of which is
critically endangered. All species have been negatively affected by historic
deforestation but currently the remaining large areas of their forest habitat are well protected in reserves and national parks. At present, the greatest threat to their survival is predation by invasive mammalian predators.