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The great spotted kiwi, great gray kiwi,〔Davies, S. J. J. F. (2003)〕 or roroa (''Apteryx haastii'') is a species of kiwi endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. The great spotted kiwi, as a member of the ratites, is flightless. It is the largest of the kiwi. The rugged topography and harsh climate of the high altitude, alpine, part of its habitat render it inhospitable to a number of introduced mammalian predators, which include dogs, ferrets, cats〔http://www.kiwisforkiwi.org/about-kiwi/kiwi-species/great-spotted-kiwi/〕 and stoats. Because of this, populations of this species have been less seriously affected by the predations of these invasive species compared to other kiwi. Nonetheless, there has been a 43% decline in population in the past 45 years, due to these predators and habitat destruction. This has led it to be classified as vulnerable.〔 There are less than 16,000 great spotted kiwis in total, almost all in the more mountainous parts of northwest Nelson, the northwest coast, and the Southern Alps. A minority live on island reserves. This kiwi is highly aggressive, and pairs will defend their large territories (49 acres) against other kiwi.〔 Great spotted kiwi are nocturnal, and will sleep during the day in burrows. At night, they feed on invertebrates and will also eat plants. Great spotted kiwi breed between June and March. The egg is the largest of all birds in proportion to the size of the bird. Chicks take 75 to 85 days to hatch, and after hatching, they are abandoned by their parents. == Taxonomy and etymology== This large kiwi is one of five species of kiwis residing in New Zealand. The other four are the tokoeka (''Apteryx australis''), Okarito brown kiwi (''Apteryx rowi''), little spotted kiwi (''Apteryx owenii''),〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Biological diversity in New Zealand )〕 and North Island brown kiwi (''Apteryx mantelli'').〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Northern Brown Kiwi - BirdLife Species Factsheet )〕 Great spotted kiwis are related most closely to the little spotted kiwi. The kiwi genus, Apteryx, is endemic to New Zealand, 44% of the bird species native to New Zealand are endemic.〔 Kiwis are placed in the ratite family, which also includes the emu, ostrich, rhea,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Ratites (Emu, Ostrich, and Rhea) )〕 and cassowary. All ratites are flightless.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Cassowary Bird )〕 Kiwi are closely related to the extinct moa bird that once inhabited New Zealand.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=New Zealand Ecology - Kiwi )〕 |2= }} Relationships in the genus ''Apteryx''〔 Before the great spotted kiwi was known to science, several stories circulated about the existence of a large kiwi called the Maori roaroa. In 1871, two specimens were brought to the Canterbury Museum, where they were identified as a new species and were named after the museum's curator, Dr. Haast.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Great spotted Kiwi )〕 The great spotted kiwi was first described as ''Apteryx haastii'' by Thomas Potts, in 1872, based on a specimen from Westland, New Zealand.〔 It is a monotypic species.〔Clements, J (2007)〕 The genus name, ''Apteryx'', comes from the Ancient Greek words ''a'' "without" or "no", and ''pteryx'', "wing" and ''haasti'' is the Latin form of the last name of Sir Julius von Haast.〔Liddell, H. G. & Scott, R. (1980)〕〔Gotch, A. F. (1995)〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「great spotted kiwi」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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