[Cloud]

Originally Posted by classicman

I wonder if those whiskers serve the same purpose as a cat's?

More like a mammal than a bird .....

The kiwi is one of the world's oddest endangered birds. In fact, one may ask whether it really is a bird.

It is the closest thing to a mammal in the bird world. The kiwi's blood temperature is nearly the same as a mammal, about 2°C lower than other birds. And it has bone marrow, instead of air as in the bones of a bird.

Both ovaries are functional in a kiwi, it has large ear openings, long whiskers, and plumage more like hair than feathers - all physical characteristics of most mammals. Birds have two ovaries but only one that functions, small concealed ears, and no whiskers. With strong stout legs and claws that are 30 percent of its' body weight, the kiwi is a powerful runner, fighter and swimmer.

The kiwi is the only bird in the world with nostrils at the end of its bill. Birds typically do not have a good sense of smell, but the kiwi's is very well developed. The olfactory bulb in the brain which controls smelling senses, is larger in kiwi than in other birds, and is structured more closely to that of a mammal.

http://terranature.org/kiwi1.htm