He’s chubby, big, has mustaches and, to top it all, he can’t fly. In short, it is a parrot out of the ordinary. The kakapo is an endangered bird native to New Zealand, and has very special characteristics.
This parrot lost its ability to fly because it had no predators on the island it lived on and therefore did not need to fly to survive. The first colonizers brought with them other predatory species such as rats, cats and dogs. This caused many kakapos to disappear and be considered extinct.
Their wings are very short and lack a keel (the part of the sternum responsible for flight in birds), but they are good climbers and can be seen up in the treetops. Since they do not fly, they build their burrow between the rocks in the ground and the roots of the trees. As of today, there are only about 129 specimens left on two New Zealand islands and they are highly protected. In fact, they are registered by the New Zealand government and each has been named.
Another of the peculiarities of this parrot is its immense size, being able to reach four kilos in weight and 64 centimeters in length. In addition, it is the only parrot with nocturnal habits. They spend most of the day resting and foraging at night, traversing the entire forest and walking for miles.
His funny face also stands out: with mustaches that help him to explore the terrain when they look for food by dragging his beak on the ground. Its plumage, of green and brown tones, is distributed in such a way that it appears to have cheeks. They give off great tenderness!
These birds are herbivorous and feed on the seeds, leaves, fruits and flowers of various plants. Unlike other species, kakapos mothers are in charge of looking for food, which is why many babies die when they are left unprotected.
Regarding its reproduction, the kakapo only breeds every two or four years and the females reach their sexual maturity after 11 years of life, which further slows down their perpetuation. For this reason, researchers are using artificial insemination in order to preserve the species.
Kakapo extinction
For many years it was thought that this species had become extinct, since the arrival of inhabitants to the island caused the loss of its natural habitat. However, in 1977 they found around 200 kakapos in southern New Zealand, including groups of females.
Although they had managed to survive, they also began to become extinct due to the presence of wild cats. In an attempt to save them, in the 1980s all the kakapos were transferred to another island , and in 1995 breeding programs were implemented that until now have managed to halt their extinction.
In 2016 a new calf was born and, since then, there has been a struggle to preserve a species that is in danger of extinction due to humans.
