A to Z challenge K is for Kakapo

 K IS FOR KAKAPO

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to navigationJump to search

Kakapo
Celebrity kakapo Sirocco on Maud Island
Conservation status
Critically Endangered (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Nationally Critical (NZ TCS)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Psittaciformes
Family:	Strigopidae
Genus:	Strigops G.R. Gray, 1845
Species:	S. habroptilus
Binomial name
Strigops habroptilus G.R. Gray, 1845
Synonyms
Strigops habroptila

The kakapo (UK: /ˈkɑːkəpoʊ/ KAH-kə-poh, US: /ˌkɑːkəˈpoʊ/ -⁠POH; from Māori: kākāpō, lit. 'night parrot'), also called owl parrot (Strigops habroptilus), is a species of large, flightless, nocturnal, ground-dwelling parrot of the super-family Strigopoidea, endemic to New Zealand.^[3]

It has finely blotched yellow-green plumage, a distinct facial disc, a large grey beak, short legs, large feet, and relatively short wings and tail. A combination of traits make it unique among parrots: it is the world's only flightless parrot, the world's heaviest parrot, nocturnal, herbivorous, visibly sexually dimorphic in body size, has a low basal metabolic rate, and no male parental care, and is the only parrot to have a polygynous lek breeding system. It is also possibly one of the world's longest-living birds, with a reported lifespan of up to 100 years.^[4]

Its anatomy typifies the tendency of bird evolution on oceanic islands, with few predators and abundant food: a generally robust physique at the expense of flight abilities, resulting in reduced wing muscles and a diminished keel on the sternum. Like many other New Zealand bird species, the kakapo was historically important to Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, appearing in many of their traditional legends and folklore; however it was also heavily hunted and used as a resource by Māori, both for its meat as a food source and for its feathers, which were used to make highly valued pieces of clothing. Kakapo were also occasionally kept as pets.

The kakapo is critically endangered; the total known adult population is 205^[5][6] living individuals, all of which are named and tagged, confined to four small islands off the coast of New Zealand that have been cleared of predators.^[7] The introduction of predators such as cats, rats, ferrets, and stoats during British colonisation almost wiped out the kakapo. Conservation efforts began in the 1890s, but they were not very successful until the implementation of the Kakapo Recovery Programme in 1995.

Most kakapo are kept on two predator-free islands, Codfish / Whenua Hou and Anchor, where they are closely monitored, and Little Barrier / Hauturu Island is being trialled as a third home for the species.