The Evolution of the Kiwi Bird
Channel: New York Hall Of Science
Date: 2018-09-29

Kiwis are flightless birds native to New Zealand. They are part of the genus Apteryx and part of the family Apterygidae. Female kiwis lay one of the largest eggs in proportion to their body size. Kiwis also have great olfactory senses and incredible memories. So one would wonder about this bird. Want to learn more? Let’s find out!

The first interesting thing to look at is the history of birds. This goes back all the way to when dinosaurs were still alive. The fossil “Archaeopteryx” is the connection between birds and dinosaurs. The Archaeopteryx is considered the earliest known bird like dinosaur. At some point  there was a mutation that caused dinosaurs to grow feathers and as this kept dinosaurs it was considered beneficial. Due to this each generation had more dinosaurs that had feathers as they were more likely to survive than their non-feathered counterparts. Over time, these formations cause a new group of organisms. They became known as the species of birds. 

After millions of years of favorable traits being added to the species, the kiwi bird was born. Modern kiwis have the characteristics they do because each successive generation inherited the advantageous traits that allowed their previous generation to survive. Over time, these traits maximized suitability and reproductive success for the species. All of these factors added together equals evolution. 

Evolution is the process by which species develop and inherit favorable traits that increase their rate of survival. One favorable trait the kiwi bird developed in relation to its environment was being flightless. Which meant that flying predators that were abundant in New Zealand could not harm them. Which in term increases the survival rate of the species, and due to this the kiwi bird is still alive and well.

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Sources:
https://www.thedodo.com/7-curious-facts-that-prove-kiw-638917637.html
http://nysci.org/wp-content/uploads/CK_Exhibition_Overview.pdf

Images Used:
-https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjLpsvh96vdAhVvkeAKHSSHB74QjRx6BAgBEAU&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pngmart.com%2Fimage%2Ftag%2Fkiwi-bird&psig=AOvVaw3Iy3PWFUeyBE0MVQUmiwdW&ust=1536514247113885
-https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjKq-Kr-avdAhXPmOAKHUgmCnIQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnzbirdsonline.org.nz%2Fspecies%2Fokarito-brown-kiwi&psig=AOvVaw3_U92m0xS_IKp_2sYqgLd7&ust=1536514671270774
-https://cdn4.vectorstock.com/i/1000x1000/86/23/prehistoric-landscape-vector-4948623.jpg
-https://i1.wp.com/img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130913004036/trilogy-of-life/images/9/9c/Hesperonychus.png
-https://cdn.thewire.in/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/24134727/Archaeopteryx_fossil.jpg
-https://i.pinimg.com/originals/47/c7/0d/47c70d4c16885d9d8f885ab7f40c2adc.jpg
-http://blog.hmns.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/archy.jpg

Crew:
Camera-Byron
Talent-Rachel
Audio-Erick
Editor-Erick

Question:Which trait do you think best allowed the kiwi bird to survive?