The Confusing Kiwi

That critter rustling through the brush over yonder in New Zealand isn't a mammal. Fact is, it's a bird. The kiwi. (New Zealanders are called kiwis, but I ask myself, "Why, man?" Well, better than being called a banded dotterel, I suppose. Maybe they call kiwifruit by the other name, Chinese gooseberry.) This bird doesn't look or act like other birds.

Kiwi bird with kiwifruit / Image from Clker

When you study on it, you'll find that this bird has bones that are unlike other birds, the wings are almost nonexistent, flight muscles are not there, and it has strong legs for running and kicking. It eats worms like many other birds, though. This critter is suited for living in New Zealand. Evolutionists have three main theories as to how it got there, but they don't hold up too well. Creationists have some ideas that make more sense in light of biblical creation and post-Flood circumstances. I reckon that God made this unique kind of bird to exhibit his skill, baffle evolutionists, and maybe show some of his sense of humor.

Kiwi lack typical bird characteristics such as flight feathers. They rely on smell and touch rather than sight, making them more akin to nocturnal forest-floor-dwelling mammals than nocturnal birds. The kiwi was probably created as a distinct bird ‘kind’ designed for ground-dwelling habitats.

The kiwi (the unofficial national emblem of New Zealand and its people), although a nocturnal, flightless bird has so many unbirdlike features it has often been called an ‘honorary mammal’.

To read the rest of this interesting article, click on "The Kiwi", written by New Zealander Christine McDonald.