Save the Kiwi: A Nation Fights for Beloved Bird -- Flightless, Glum Fowl Lauded in Lore, Coinage

Summary

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KARORI WILDLIFE SANCTUARY, New Zealand - As national symbols go, the kiwi makes up in curiosity value for what it lacks in good looks.

The squat, flightless bird appears a bit like a cross between a hamster and an anteater, with furlike plumage, a long, quill-like beak and a grumpy demeanor. But don't let its looks and ungainliness mislead you: This bird is to New Zealanders what the bald eagle is to Americans.

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Save the Kiwi: A Nation Fights for Beloved Bird -- Flightless, Glum Fowl Lauded in Lore, Coinage

It's on the coins and many product logos. It's in the indigenous Maori creation myth and lends its name to the fruit, a New Zealand export. It's even a synonym for the currency, as well as for a New Zealander, as in "I'm a kiwi, mate, ...

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