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Weekly Dose of Cute

By cwilcox on May 3, 2009.

My brother's name is Kian, but ever since we were kids I've called him Kiwi. So, of course, I couldn't resist this little image, in light of his birthday:

Baby Kiwi
Source: Daily Telegraph

Isn't it adorable? A wittle baby kiwi!

Kiwis are nocturnal, flightless birds that are indigenous to New Zealand - there are 5 species currently recognized. In the wild, the father takes care of the egg after it's lain (laid?). But you have to give props to Kiwi Moms, too: the Kiwi's egg is so large compared to its mother that it would be like us giving birth to a toddler. And just think how much hell we go through giving birth - if I gave birth to something that big, I'd make the dad take care of it, too! Like other animals who are indigenous to islands, they are constantly under the threats of habitat loss and predation by introduced species. Luckily, there are programs in place to help boost the populations of and protect this adorable, iconic bird.

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Weekly Dose of Cute

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