New Zealand Flightless Birds

2026.09.02
Writer / 記事を書いた人
Adrian
New Zealand(ニュージーランド)

My name is Adrian. I am from New Zealand.
I like playing tennis. I like fishing too.

Article

New Zealand Flightless Birds

▼ 記事の音声を再生

<Let's learn!> 
・stay that way
・one of ~s
・~, though.

=====================================

Which country do you want to visit? What is your favorite animal? Japan has more bird species than New Zealand, but New Zealand has birds that can't fly. Have you ever seen a bird that could not fly? There are many birds in New Zealand that can't fly.

The kiwi is the most famous of these birds. Before Europeans came to New Zealand, birds had no natural enemies. Because New Zealand is more isolated than countries like Japan, it stayed that way for a long time. When I was young, I liked the kiwi bird because it was one of New Zealand’s national symbols. The kiwi population is decreasing, though.

The kakapo is another New Zealand flightless bird. The kakapo is the most unique parrot in the world because it is the only parrot species that can’t fly.

When you come to New Zealand, I recommend you see a kiwi and a kakapo.

日本語訳を見る

Key Points

Repeat each word(s) and example sentence(s) after your teacher/tutor.

Key Phrases 重要表現

stay that way

そのままでいる、その状態を保つ

My room is clean now, and I hope it stays that way.

one of ~s

~の(うちの)一つ、~の一人

She is one of my best friends.

~, though.

~だけど

The test was very difficult. I got a good score, though.

Key Vocabulary 重要単語・熟語

species

ˈspiː.ʃiːz

種、種類

名詞

a set of animals or plants in which the members have similar characteristics to each other and can breed with each other

There are many species of fish in this river.

enemy

ˈen.ə.mi

敵、天敵

名詞

a person or animal that hates or opposes another, and tries to harm them or stop them from doing something

Cats and mice are natural enemies.

isolated

ˈaɪ.sə.leɪ.t̬ɪd

孤立した、離れた

形容詞

not near to other places

The island is isolated from the world.

national

ˈnæʃ.ən.əl

国の、国家の

形容詞

relating to or typical of a whole country and its people, rather than to part of that country or to other countries

Tomorrow is a national holiday, so there is no school.

population

ˌpɑː.pjəˈleɪ.ʃən

人口、個体数

名詞

all the people or animals of a particular type or group who live in one country, area, or place

Japan has a large population of older people.

Others その他

kiwi

ˈkiː.wiː

キーウィ(ニュージーランドの国鳥)

名詞

a New Zealand bird, with a long beak and thick brown feathers, that cannot fly

We saw a kiwi in the zoo yesterday.

European

ˌjʊr.əˈpiː.ən

ヨーロッパ人

名詞

a person who comes from Europe

Many Europeans visit Japan to see beautiful temples.

flightless

ˈflaɪt.ləs

飛べない

形容詞

not able to fly

Penguins are famous flightless birds.

kakapo

ˈkɑː.kə.poʊ

カカポ(フクロウオウム)

名詞

a large New Zealand parrot with green and yellow feathers, that cannot fly

The kakapo is a very rare bird in the world.

parrot

ˈper.ət

オウム

名詞

a tropical bird with a curved beak, often kept as a pet and trained to copy the human voice

We saw many beautiful parrots in the jungle.

Practice

Fill in the blanks to complete the sentence.

We are good friends, and we will (___)(___)(___) forever.

ヒント:stay that way

回答を見る

We are good friends, and we will (stay)(that)(way) forever.

He is (___)(___) the best players on our team.

ヒント:one of ~

回答を見る

He is (one)(of) the best players on our team.

This shirt is cute. It is too expensive, (___).

ヒント:~, though.

回答を見る

This shirt is cute. It is too expensive, (though).

Article

Read the article aloud on your own or repeat each paragraph after your teacher/tutor.

New Zealand Flightless Birds

<Let's learn!> 
・stay that way
・one of ~s
・~, though.

=====================================

Which country do you want to visit? What is your favorite animal? Japan has more bird species than New Zealand, but New Zealand has birds that can't fly. Have you ever seen a bird that could not fly? There are many birds in New Zealand that can't fly.

The kiwi is the most famous of these birds. Before Europeans came to New Zealand, birds had no natural enemies. Because New Zealand is more isolated than countries like Japan, it stayed that way for a long time. When I was young, I liked the kiwi bird because it was one of New Zealand’s national symbols. The kiwi population is decreasing, though.

The kakapo is another New Zealand flightless bird. The kakapo is the most unique parrot in the world because it is the only parrot species that can’t fly.

When you come to New Zealand, I recommend you see a kiwi and a kakapo.

Questions

Answer the questions based on the article.

Which country has more kinds of birds, Japan or New Zealand?

ヒント:Japan has ~

回答を見る

Japan.

Why did New Zealand birds have no natural enemies for a long time?

ヒント:Because New Zealand is more ~

回答を見る

Because New Zealand is more isolated than countries like Japan.

What is happening to the number of Kiwis now?

ヒント:The kiwi population is ~

回答を見る

The kiwi population is decreasing.

Discussion

Let’s have a discussion about the theme with your teacher/tutor or classmates.

With your teacher/tutor 先生とのディスカッション

Have you ever seen a flightless bird?

Yes, I have. I have seen a(an) ~./ No, I haven't.

What is a unique animal in Japan? What kind of animal is it?

I think ~ is a unique animal. It is ~.

The kiwi population is decreasing. What Japanese animals do you think are decreasing?

I think ~ are decreasing.

With your classmates クラスメートとのディスカッション

Why do you think some animals are in danger?

I think it is because of ~.

If you were a bird, would you want to fly in the sky, or would you want to live safely on the ground without flying?

I would want to [ fly in the sky / live safely on the ground ]. Because ~.

If you could choose an animal as the national symbol of Japan, what would you choose? And why?

I would choose ~. Because ~.