In the dense forests of New Zealand, there lives a very curious bird: the kakapo (Strigops habroptilus). Also known as the owl parrot or night parrot, it’s considered the largest parrot in the world – and a critically endangered species.
The kakapo is native to New Zealand, and isn’t found anywhere else. Because New Zealand has no native land animals, its birds were able to evolve in very unique ways. Unfortunately, this also left them extremely vulnerable to outside threats. The kakapo’s Latin name roughly translates to “owl-face soft-feather.” Indeed, this bird has very soft feathers, and also a prominent facial disc of ultra-fine feathers, similar to an owl. They are usually moss green mottled with yellow and black, although some variations are more yellow. They also have gray beaks, feet, and legs.
This species is extremely special because it’s not only nocturnal, but also the sole flightless kind of parrot in the world. The kakapo’s short wings are used for balancing instead of flying. Instead, they have very strong legs that are used to hike (“jog”) and climb trees. The closest they can get to flying is
climbing a tree and jumping off, using their wings as a parachute to the forest floor. Because they don’t need stiff and strong feathers to fly, their feathers are much softer. Kakapos are also nocturnal, roosting in trees or on the ground during the day and becoming active at night. To aid in this, they have a very good sense of smell, which helps them navigate in the dark. Furthermore, they also emit a musty-sweet odor that allows them to find each other in the forest. However, this can also make it easier for predators.
Kakapos are one of the longest-living birds on Earth, with an average life expectancy of over 90 years. Additionally, they are the heaviest species of parrot in the world, weighing between 4-9 pounds at an average height of 24 inches. They are much sturdier than other birds and can store a lot more body fat. Their diet consists of leaves, buds, flowers, fern fronds, bark, roots, rhizomes, bulbs, fruit, and seeds, though it can vary seasonally. They are entirely vegetarian; they forage on the ground and in trees for food.
During breeding season, which usually occurs every 2-4 years during summer and autumn (but only in years of good fruit abundance), male kakapos can travel up to four miles to reach a special arena where they compete for the attention of females. They will court female kakapos with a group song and dance, in addition to very loud mating calls. Males will emit loud, low-frequency “booms” that can travel up to 3 miles. After 20-30 “booms,” they switch to a higher-pitched “ching” sound. This can go on for eight hours a night for 2-4 months. (You can listen to the
mating calls at the Kakapo Recovery Program website.) Female kakapos will incubate and raise chicks on their own. Nests are on or under the ground in natural cavities or under dense vegetation. 1-4 eggs are laid in a shallow depression in soil or rotten wood, which is then repeatedly turned over before and during incubation.
Surprisingly, kakapos are also fairly friendly. In fact, the Maori people (indigenous people of New Zealand) and early European settlers would keep kakapos as pets. Wild kakapos are known to approach, climb on, and preen people. In 1845, George Edward Grey, and English ornithologist who was the first to describe the kakapo, wrote that his pet kakapo’s behavior was more in line with that of a dog than a bird.
Unfortunately, kakapos are considered critically endangered by the ICUN, with less than 200 alive today. The problem first started with Maori settlers, and became dramatically worse when the Europeans came. The Europeans cleared large areas of the kakapos’ habitat and also brought in new mammalian predators. Cats and stoats would prey on adult kakapos, while their eggs and chicks can be killed by rats. When a kakapo is threatened, it immediately freezes and hopes to blend in with its surroundings. Before new predators were introduced, this worked well because their predators were mostly other birds that hunted using sight. But after the mammalian predators came, this strategy didn’t work because they hunted based on smell. Additionally, female kakapos must spend a long time away from the nest for feeding, leaving eggs and chicks vulnerable to predation. Kakapos have very low genetic diversity, and consequently, have low fertility. Biologists and other researchers now use artificial insemination in some cases to protect against further genetic loss.
Kakapos used to be found all throughout New Zealand. Now, they only inhabit forested islands. When the population first started decreasing, people tried moving them to predator-free islands, but stoats managed to swim over and continue preying on the kakapos. Fortunately, a population of less than 200 was found on Stewart Island in 1977, but the population was steadily decreasing due to cat predation. The entire population was transferred to other islands with fewer predators in the 1980s and 1990s. These islands had no predators, but had kiore – also known as the Polynesian rat. This stopped the population decline, but it still didn’t increase until after the kiore were removed and the birds were monitored very carefully.
In the 1980s, the New Zealand Department of Conservation implemented the Kakapo Recovery Plan in an attempt to prevent their extinction. Today, kakapos inhabit three islands: Whenua Hou (Codfish Island), Pukenui (Anchor Island), and Hauturu (Little Barrier Island). Every kakapo wears a smart transmitter that emits a signal with behavioral information so that scientists can monitor their condition. These signals are tracked to
collect data and see where the birds are located. During breeding seasons, nests are also monitored, either manually or through technology.
About once a year, workers and volunteers in the Kakapo Recovery Plan will perform a hands-on health check. They locate the bird using radio telemetry and replace its transmitter with a new one. They will then weigh the kakapo, check its molting condition, take a blood sample, and check for parasites, injury, or illness. Sometimes, they will also take the temperature of the bird.
To prevent the population from decreasing again, the islands are safeguarded very carefully to stop predators from entering. Stoat traps are placed in the water, and everything that travels through into the island is quarantined and thoroughly checked.
During the spring and summer, the kakapos are given specially formulated food to ensure that they are healthy enough to breed and raise chicks. Moreover, sometimes humans will artificially incubate eggs or raise chicks by hand. The temperature and humidity of these artificial incubations are very exact, trying to mimic a regular kakapo nest. Chicks are removed from the nest if the mother has too many or if the child is sick, and they are then raised by scientists. The chicks are returned to the wild at four months old.
The kakapo is truly a unique kind of bird and has a very special place in the heart of New Zealanders. With the help of the Kakapo Recovery Program, extinction has been avoided, but there is still much more to be done before this species is no longer endangered. To find out more information or support the conservation effort, check out the organization’s website.
Sources:
- https://www.wired.com/2014/03/creature-feature-10-fun-facts-kakapo/
- https://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/kakapo
- https://www.doc.govt.nz/our-work/kakapo-recovery/what-we-do/current-conservation/
Image sources:
- https://ebird.org/species/kakapo2
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C4%81k%C4%81p%C5%8D
- https://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/kakapo
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/new-zealand-aims-to-save-the-strangest-parrot-on-earth/2019/03/22/9516a07e-3619-11e9-854a-7a14d7fec96a_story.html
- https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/animals/2019/03/scientists-are-getting-creative-to-save-this-muppet-faced-flightless-parrot
- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-47960764
