Are the fruit Kiwi and the flightless bird Kiwi connected? Why are they named the same?

Baloo55th

Yes and no. (There's a good answer...) The bird is a kiwi. End of statement. It symbolises New Zealand - although having a poor-sighted eater of worms isn't a great image builder (although nor are the bald eagle's eating habits and many others too...). The kiwi fruit is otherwise (and slightly more accurately) known as the Chinese gooseberry. It does originate in China, but was marketed in the 1950s as kiwi fruit. NZ was growing a lot of them, the Americans weren't keen on China at the time, and compared with humans both kiwis and kiwi fruit are smallish, brown and round. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiwifruit Dec 08 10, 3:53 PM

undudelike

It is named after the flightless Kiwi bird of New Zealand. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-kiwi-fruit.htm New Zealanders are proud to be known as kiwis, the New Zealand dollar is a kiwi, the Kiwis are the national rugby league football team, and a fruit native to China that was first commercially cultivated in New Zealand for international trade is now known throughout the world as kiwi fruit. http://www.factbites.com/topics/Kiwi Dec 08 10, 3:54 PM