David Attenborough muses over the peculiar Kiwi, a bird more mammal-like in its habits.

The Kiwi is the last-remaining flightless bird still in existence in New Zealand. It’s a most peculiar bird, Attenborough tells us, but why?

David Attenborough tells us New Zealand had several species of flightless bird living across the islands, all of which are now extinct, bar one.

The Kiwi has become one of those species iconic of the country, like the Koala to Australia, the Giraffe to Africa and the Alpaca to South America.

Historically, New Zealand didn’t have ground predators such as wild cats and stoats – and allowed birds to exploit living on the ground.

Being flightless in New Zealand was a good way to be a bird. David Attenborough has filmed Kiwis, and in this programme he muses on the niche the Kiwi occupies on the ground.

He argues the Kiwi behaves more like a mammal than a bird, but what mammal do you think, in Attenborough’s view, the Kiwi most resembles? Show less