Kakapo Parrot: The Unique Endemic Species of New Zealand

The Kakapo is the only parrot in the world that can’t fly, has bright green feathers and a face a bit like an owl. Scientists have discovered so many ancient fossils of this species throughout New Zealand that it is considered one of the endemic animals of this country.

This is a nocturnal bird, so it is not surprising that people call Kakapo “night owls”. In addition, with many characteristics like parrots, they are also known as “parrot owls” or “Kakapo parrots”.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has also decided to appoint Sirocco (a Kakapo parrot) as the government’s “conservation ambassador”. He thinks this rare parrot is the ideal choice. In addition, Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson said, “New Zealand is home to the only parrot species in the world that cannot fly and live at night. They are the last members of the dinosaur family. We need to preserve our country’s biodiversity and Sirocco can help us get that message across.”

In 1995, there were only 51 Kakapo parrots recorded, but thanks to conservation efforts, their number has now increased to 124. Some 33 young parrots have been brought to the southern islands of New Zealand. – where they are strictly protected to prevent the extinction of the species.

However, the question is whether this Kakapo parrot is worth it for us to preserve it? Let’s point out the “harmful” points of this Kakapo parrot!

With a bright green cloak, Kakapo easily hides from enemies in the surrounding verdant bushes. However, it is also quite friendly, if you are lucky, it will come close and climb on you to “get to know”. Normally, when there is “motion”, Kakapo parrots have a habit of “freezing” in one place. But sometimes, it will run up trees like an excellent climber thanks to its sharp claws. But unfortunately, when it reaches the top, because it can’t fly, it will struggle to find a way to climb down if it doesn’t want a tragic end.

Kakapo parrots mostly live in forests, places with lots of grass and dust. An odd feature of these “night owls” is that they are completely “vegetarian”. Instead of eating meat, they eat almonds and the fruits of trees Muselin, Rimu, Matai, Totara… – trees that usually bloom in the spring and summer of the year. Kakapo’s favorite food is the fruit of the Rimu tree – a special tree that blooms only once every 4 years. Perhaps because they only eat plants, they have a long life, averaging 90 years.

Kakapo is also the only parrot species living in polygamy. However, the females have a rather strange feature, which is that they do not like to mate. Their mating frequency is very sparse ,  sometimes up to once every 2 years.  Therefore, their number is very small, it can be said that they can only be counted on the fingers, so the male has a hard time finding a partner to maintain the breed.