Kiwi (Bird) is a national symbol of New Zealand. New Zealanders have been “Kiwis” since the days of the First World War.

A kiwi is any of the species of flightless birds endemic to New Zealand of the genus Apteryx. At around the size of a domestic chicken, kiwi are by far the smallest living ratites. All kiwi species are endangered.

The kiwifruit (or kiwi) is the edible berry of a cultivar group of the woody vine Actinidia deliciosa & hybrids between this & other species in the genus Actinidia.

Originally known as the Chinese Gooseberry, the fruit was renamed for marketing reasons in the mid-20th century, first to melonette, and then to kiwifruit. The latter name was chosen for the indigenous New Zealand bird, kiw