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Story: Kiwi

Laying an egg

Video file

The kiwi’s egg is so large relative to its body size that the female has considerable difficulty laying it. She is usually unable to eat in the days before laying. The bird in this film clip is a North Island brown kiwi.

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Natural History New Zealand

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How to cite this page

Jock Phillips, Kiwi – Life and death, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/10180/laying-an-egg (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Jock Phillips, published 1 March 2009.