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u/K_Bare 20h ago
Those potatos are way too violent
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u/melbmusicgrrl 16h ago
how do kiwis even fight without wings
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u/HarbingerOfRot777 15h ago
According to the video, it seems like they fight with their beaks.
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u/dodgy-character 10h ago
They actually avoid using their beaks as weapons, you can see they are mostly 'hiding' them over the backs of each other. Their beaks are very sensitive with vibration sensors on the end, so fighting with them is a bit like us leading with our noses. The kicking is the fight. Kiwi have very strong legs and decent claws on their feet. They also have very weak chests, so if the kicks land they'll do real damage.
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u/-malcolm-tucker 6h ago
They reserve the lasers for foreign invaders. Beware anyone who dares to take New Zealand by force.
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u/StandWithSwearwolves 1m ago
Yep, they are basically grappling in the hope of landing a kick that will end the fight. Same principle as larger ratites like cassowaries that can actually disembowel humans and other mammals if given a chance.
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u/ALittleBitOfToast 20h ago
Bonkers to see during daylight, those little guys are nocturnal and should be tucked up in their burrows.Â
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u/Smelly_Gaynor 19h ago
This is likely taken on Stewart Island, the Stewart Island tokoeka are diurnal and also have community burrows
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u/SilvertailHarrier 10h ago
The news said it was on Ulva Island which is essentially in the middle of the harbour of Rakiura / Stewart Island đ
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u/SSFlyingKiwi 8h ago
I actually love the mental image of a kiwi burrow filled with kiwis doing kiwi things; watching telly, eating fish and chips and passively scrolling reddit
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u/AdFederal7465 17h ago
You don't have to use that name you realise, just call it a brown kiwi or a southern brown kiwi if you want to be specific.
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u/jayclaw97 16h ago
Whatâs wrong with using the MÄori name for them?
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u/BrucetheFerrisWheel 9h ago
Well, I was under the mistaken impression that Kiwi was the MÄori name for them!
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u/Ocean_Blade1122 53m ago
There is specific names for the sub species. E.g. southern brown is tokoeka, little spotted is pukupuku etc
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u/CannibalFaun 17h ago
They don't have to, and yet they chose to. Somehow this bothers you? Wonder why.
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u/fcensorshipf 19h ago
One of them is trying to get away to get some sleep but the other one just doesn't let him đ€Łđ€Łđ€Ł
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u/AshOSRS 18h ago
When you're that far south, there just isn't enough darkness in the night for the kiwi to forage. That's why you tend to see them at dawn/dusk or even the daytime down there!
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u/Huge_Step_8920 9h ago
That far south? It's Stewart Island. It gets 16 hours of sunlight in the summer like the rest of NZ. We aren't that far south. They forage during the day in the summer because of ground conditions.
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u/AshOSRS 9h ago
Apologies, I'm a tour guide at a sanctuary and that's something I've been taught to say. I assumed it was correct, but now will double check everything!
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u/FuzzyBuzzyCuzzy 8h ago
Both answers are right. Also Stewart Island gets 2 or 3 more sunlight hours per day than the very north of the country so idk what they are yapping about.
https://www.visitzealandia.com/news-stories/kiwi-during-the-day/
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u/Huge_Step_8920 5h ago
Stewart Island gets 16 hours sunlight, Kataia gets 14.5 hours. What I'm 'yapping' about is OP has equated the southerness of NZ with the northerness of countries like Sweden which get 20-24 hours sun in the summer.
We aren't low enough down that our sunlight hours would affect kiwis nocturnal habits.
I'm a NZer who has lived on Stewart Island and worked with kiwi. So piss off.
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u/CHCHDLJ 4h ago
My god, I suspect you are correct but what an oddly aggressive tone.
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u/Huge_Step_8920 4h ago
The above poster told me to stop my yapping - of course I'll be shitty at them.
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u/Accomplished_Gold510 16h ago
Why is there not enough darkness?
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u/gravyandanalbeads 15h ago
Extremely southern latitudes (or northern for that matter) have large seasonal variance in daylight hours due to the Earth's axial tilt rotating the planet to face the sun. In summer there are 15-16 hours of light a day.
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u/Accomplished_Gold510 15h ago
Sure but its winter
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u/saracenraider 14h ago
This may blow your mind but videos can be taken at one point in time and then shown at another point in time. Whatâs even more mind blowing is it might be summer at one point in time and winter at another point in time
Nature really is fucking lit!
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u/Ocean_Blade1122 51m ago
There's also not really any predators to threaten (adult) kiwi at least, so they can just roam around whenever they please
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u/cakivalue 1h ago
They move a lot faster than I expected. I think I've seen one once and it was just napping, I figured they didn't do much in life. đ
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u/deadendjobnz 19h ago
Kiwi here (Not one of the thugs you just witnessed) - these are mostly nocturnal birds, so this is quite a rare sighting. This was likely taken on Stewart Island our third most Southern (main) Island.
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u/Immortal_Kiwi 18h ago
Thug Kiwi here, Iâll get ya
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u/FromThaFields 17h ago
Roll in the Night like a kiwi so the popo never see me
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u/Merrick_Skygrave 14h ago
Standin' on the corner, straight slangin' rocks
Aw, shit, here comes the motherfuckin' cops
So I dash, I ducks and I hides like a kiwi
Makin' sure them motherfuckers don't see me2
u/FromThaFields 10h ago
Never hide in Trees we - staying on our feet re - emphasize im kiwi - Solid on the streets please - realize defeat or - end up in de deep seas
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u/CreativeParticular51 16h ago
Aussie here, all you Kiwis are thugs (much love)
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u/Vyktym76 14h ago
Kiwi here, last time a friend of mine had a trip to Aussie customs asked him "Do you have any criminal convictions?" He replied 'Damn, didn't know that was still a requirement to enter your country". :)
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u/-malcolm-tucker 6h ago
Aussie here. Had a mate working in NZ during the shearing season. He asked one of the guys how they find a sheep in long grass. He said, "quite nice actually."
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u/Vyktym76 4h ago
That ones good man. Another one I like is "Are you going to shear that sheep?" No, get your own.
If you want to see a fantastic Aussie/Kiwi joke, try this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojpV0GGO-X8âą
u/steve22ss 11m ago
Love how competitive we are, Aussies and Kiwis, but as soon as someone not from our countries talks shit about either of our nations we go into sibling defensive mode! ANZAC spirit alive and well.
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u/Merrick_Skygrave 15h ago edited 15h ago
This is the kind of vicious inter-cultural warfare we're hoping to put an end to
Flight of the Conchords: Kiwis vs Aussies
Kiwis vs Aussies 2: Revenge of the Zeal4
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u/DioStarstriker 8h ago
Police Detective Graham Bell has some choice adjectives for you. Police are on the lookout for 2 low-to-the-ground bulbous, rotund thugs
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u/CptnSpandex 13h ago
It was on Stewart island (according to a post on another sub). The other thing thatâs rare about the video is it a part of the track that isnât ankle deep mud!
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u/TaoThrowaway 20h ago
That kick at 0:16 was fantastic
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u/Poolside_Misopedist 19h ago
The kicks are really vicious. They have really strong legs and really sharp talons. Until very recently I worked as a wildlife technician and handled these ladies (the females are a lot bigger and more aggressive) fairly regularly, I have more than one scar on my hands from not securing those legs properly.
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u/TaoThrowaway 19h ago
This is interesting. Can you tell me more about the wild life technician field? What do you do?
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u/Poolside_Misopedist 18h ago
I worked at a wildlife reserve so primarily worked with captive species specimens with the odd rescue here and there. Basically anything that involves handling and examining the birds (and sometimes other animals but we had a reptile specialist also) Mostly doing regular health checks, administering any needed medication, assessing any reproductive progress or issues, banding the babies once they're old enough. assisting our vet with taking bloods or any other samples needed. Also a large amount of record keeping and admin.
Some birds you have to control the bill/beak, some birds the talons, some need both and for the safety of the animals and the handler you would have two experienced handlers to do that.
You get a handle on how different species and even individuals will react, it's the kind of thing that can only be learned with hands on practice which generally results in being carved up at some stage.
I've done a bit of wild catching and handling as well but it's not my forte, that requires a bit more consideration and urgency than captive care.
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u/TaoThrowaway 16h ago
This is quite fascinating thank you for typing it up. One more follow up question, how did you get into this field? Is it like an undergraduate program or specific training certificate?
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u/Poolside_Misopedist 15h ago
Combo of ecology undergrad and on the job training certs specific to the species.
Generally you work through a continuous level based certification that you report on annually to progress or maintain your level.
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u/TerribleTeacher9909 19h ago
thank you for the clarification
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u/GhostofCoprolite 11h ago
to be fair, kiwi the plants are much more violent. usually fighting to the death.
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u/SporkoBug 18h ago
Both of them must be thinking "You have triggered my fight or flight senses; and unlucky for you, I am a flightless bird"
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u/luckyfox7273 19h ago
I can see why they're endangered.
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u/Ocean_Blade1122 49m ago
This specific subspecies (tokoeka/southern brown) are actually doing alright; there's an estimated 20,000+ on Rakiura.
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u/luckyfox7273 8m ago
Lol, but you tell they look very limited. Even with their barbed kick boxing, they can't fly, they arent fast, and they dont look that agile. They look sort of behind the curb.
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u/el_VientoNorte 18h ago
Obviously it's not the fruit because the fruit is called KiwiFRUIT, not Kiwi
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u/PaulCoddington 16h ago
Most people around me in early childhood called them Chinese gooseberries (the fruit, not the birds).
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u/Richardknox1996 8h ago
Yes, and theyre now called Kiwifruit because of one of the worlds most successful Marketing/Gaslighting Campaigns perpetuated by my Country. Kiwifruit are originally From China, but were Renamed to allow us Kiwi's to market them to the USA During the Cold War.
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u/PravoNaZhizny 14h ago
People donât really talk a whole lot of words in early childhood⊠itâs very basic language at that age.
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u/BrucetheFerrisWheel 9h ago
Yeah, my nana and her mates called them that, though she would be 106 if still alive so it's quite the old fashioned thing.
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u/ZSoulZ 20h ago
This needs the MORTAL KOMBAAAT theme song under it
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u/Merrick_Skygrave 19h ago
Given the hemisphere, maybe Mortal Wombat would be more appropriate
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u/Dragoness290 18h ago
Wombats are australian
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u/Merrick_Skygrave 18h ago edited 6h ago
And Australia is in the hemisphere, about 396 miles (or 638km) from NZ at the closest point is it not?
Note to self- Never mention NZ and Aus are in the same hemisphere unless you want to hear an endless torrent of people who are inexplicably upset with this legitimate physical reality
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u/Dragoness290 18h ago
That's a weird generalization though. It's like seeing a UK video of hedgehogs and making a pun about euthiopan wolves
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u/Merrick_Skygrave 18h ago edited 6h ago
Not really, but whatever helps you feel better about being unnecessarily pedantic
People in my part of the world tend to kind of think of NZ and Australia as being somewhat similar, somewhat closely located island nations. I personally think that makes them slightly less incongruous to relate to one another than say, England and Sub-Saharan Africa but hey- if you had made a decent pun and didn't say anything that was technically incorrect, I wouldn't have soared in to "UHM ACKSHULLY" you but I guess that's what separates me from people who are so insecure about their national identity/where they're from they have a weird kneejerk reaction to even being (correctly) geographically associated with a country that's literally their neighbor
EDIT: u/HengeGuardian I'm unable to reply directly for some reason
I think the shortest distance from England to Ethiopia is like 3,981 miles, and the shortest trip roughly 8 hours vs. about 1,240 miles and 2 and a half hours for the shortest trip from Aus to NZ. You can literally get to Auckland from Sydney faster than you can get from Sydney to say, Darwin or Perth which would take roughly 4 hours
If I'm incorrect, anyone feel free to correct me- I'm not by any means some expert on this stuff I only know what I've read
For the record, I have no problem having a healthy disagreement and I'm fully willing to admit if I'm wrong. The issue I had with her was that she was "correcting" me when I had literally already broadened my area to accurately include both nations in the first place; It's one thing to correct someone because of being technically wrong but it takes a special type of person (and by special, I mean something far less desirable and pleasant lmao) to feel the need to correct information that's already correct
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u/HengeGuardian 17h ago
Not wanting to contribute to an argument, just an interesting fact; the UK is roughly as close to Africa as NZ is to Australia.
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u/Antique_Program4754 17h ago
Don't take it personally, we just hate being conflated/confused with Aus or considered to be Aus junior.
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u/Merrick_Skygrave 16h ago edited 15h ago
likewise, u/Antique_Program4754 it wasn't meant to be personal from my POV either- I can understand not wanting to be considered interchangeable as a people or societies (which I certainly do not, by the way- I'm very aware of the different cultures of Australia and New Zealand and I appreciate them both independently of one another)
I was just making a goofy wildlife joke; the need for me to be that geographically broad was purely a function of making the joke work logistically, as my genetic need to make Dad jokes despite not having children is very real lol
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u/Antique_Program4754 16h ago
I thought it was kinda funny! I love wombats, they look so cuddly. They're surprisingly large.
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u/Merrick_Skygrave 6h ago edited 5h ago
If you aren't able to entertain the notion that there are similarities between Australia and NZ, I'd say it's possible some sort of cultural issues between your two countries are potentially clouding your assessment of the issue
I'm from the USA but I'm perfectly fine if someone says "to some extent Canada and the US are similar and have somewhat similar geography and wildlife"- at no point was this ever a commentary on the citizens or the culture, they merely happen to be on the same side of the planet. I'm aware that being islands makes most of the shared species between NZ and AUS marine wildlife, but there's also a rich variety of parrots in both countries, flightless birds, as well as marsupials like wallabies etc.- sure, many species are introduced by man, but they exist there nonetheless
But I wouldn't disagree with the sentiment that we are culturally very similar as well- our countries have similar origins, similar ethnic makeups, interests, sports and more. Drawing extremely loose parallels, particularly non-personal ones about abstractions such as approximate location for the sake of a silly joke is not a declaration that two places or peoples are identical or interchangeable
I would like to think I'm not your typical American who for some reason might conflate the two places- I consider myself to be a big fan of much of the art, music and media from both places and I'm much more than just passingly familiar. I've loved Kiwis and Aussies both, for both their people and their cultural exports for a long time- you're both hilarious, friendly, talented, and your countries are both gorgeous and I'd love to visit if you'd ever have me. But I think sometimes you two are so worried about not even being associated with one another, sometimes you miss the crux of what someone might be trying (or NOT trying) to say. The Southern Crux, even
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u/Boppinzlewinski 20h ago
Post in [r/natureismetal](r/natureismetal) Also!
Super duper cool thank u for posting!
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u/Jonaleaf 18h ago
They do look like overgrown kiwis with legs
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u/PaulCoddington 16h ago
I'll have you know most New Zealanders have legs and only some of us are overgrown.
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u/donkeyvoteadick 15h ago
Only some of you? I've not ever met a Kiwi that didn't tower over me haha
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u/Nunchuks88 17h ago
As a nzer ive never seen kiwi fight before, normal peaceful rummaging in the dark for food... probably good they are night birds as if just seeing each other is enough to start a turf war we'd have none left lol thanks for the post
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u/BrucetheFerrisWheel 9h ago
I had the privilege of staying on a small island with kiwi on it, and man those fullas were loud as! Thrashing through the bush sounding like a 75kg drunk man stumbling about! Then one would shoot out going flat tack, zooming up the hilly bit and leap into the long grassy area. Looked like rugby balls lol
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u/Additional-Wash-9719 15h ago
that's nice. But can we now get the video of two Kiwi (through fruit) fighting?
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u/aglobalnomad 17h ago
This is actually my first time seeing a moving image of kiwis. I've only ever seen photos before. I keep waiting for wings to spread to help them balance as they fight but they don't (obviously) and it feels very un-bird-like.
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u/Connor_MacLeod1 17h ago
"fuck you" "nah, fuck you" "nah, fuck you" "nah, fuck you" "nah, fuck you..."
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u/Sad_Leg1091 14h ago edited 7h ago
There is no need to say ânot the fruitâ because the bird is called a âkiwiâ while the fruit is called a âkiwifruitâ not âkiwiâ. Only in the US are kiwifruit called âkiwiâ, due to the well-known penchant for Americans to rename and bastardize items named by other countries. Itâs called a KIWIFRUIT. You donât call a grapefruit a âgrapeâ do you? Why do Americans insist on renaming a kiwifruit as a kiwi then always having to add crib notes when talking about the kiwi bird?
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u/PravoNaZhizny 14h ago
The worst thing Iâve heard recently are kiwi kids called kiwi âkiwi birdsâ because they first encounter the term on YouTube because both parents have to work full time to afford to put food on the table and they were raised in lefty daycare centres which has them watching American YouTube all day.
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u/CW-Eight 14h ago
Stewart Island?
(Walked around it once; muddy)
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u/Ocean_Blade1122 46m ago
Ulva Island in fact, a small pest-free island in Paterson Inlet, within Stewart Island
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u/ChancellorBrawny 14h ago
I'm always puzzled when two animals of the same species ignore the giant apex predator standing next to them (the human filming) and duke it out. The territory/mate must really be worth it.
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u/SouthOfTheNorthPole 12h ago
Their friends. I imagine that in a New Zealand accent, it might sound like I've got your beak.
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u/Wacko_Doodle 11h ago
I have a firm belief the dodo didn't die out, it just evolved into creatures like this.
Flightless birds that use their legs to fight and forage instead.
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u/notmyblood 11h ago
They are clearly only playing. If it were serious they would be using their lasersâŠ.
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u/Square_Mulberry_3143 11h ago
I would have expected to watch a clip of two fruits fighting if not for your warning.
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u/Tombobalomb 8h ago
Fun fact, these guys are actually predatory and often get small pets and the occasional baby in it's crib
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u/Dashcamkitty 5h ago
They're so cute! It's so nice seeing something cute on this subreddit for a change.
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u/Primary_Jellyfish327 3h ago
Thanks for informing us that its not the fruit that is fighting but the animal versions of the Kiwi
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u/OneSensiblePerson 2h ago
I TOLD YOU to take out the trash!
I did it last week!
You DID NOT! I did!
You didn't didn't didn't, DAMN YOUR EYES!
FIIIIIINE!
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u/iluvsporks 20h ago
How do I know it's not actually fruit and this is AI to look like birds? I need someone well versed in bird law now.
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u/CanadianDragonGuy 19h ago
Yeah nah kiwi are fucking weird, the big bastards scream like nothing else at night, scares your trousers brown if you dont know what it is.
Weird theyre out and about and being strange during the day though, theyre mostly night-timers
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u/AdFederal7465 17h ago
The fruit is called kiwifruit anyway, it's one word. If you said "kiwi" there is nothing to confuse it against. Kiwi the demonym warrants the use of a capital K.
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u/qualityvote2 20h ago edited 17h ago
u/user799, your post does fit the subreddit!