Facts About Kakapos

Kakapos (Strigops habroptilus) are critically endangered, with the total known population at roughly 250 individuals as of the mid-2020s, up from a low of just 51 birds in the 1990s.

Kakapos are nocturnal, spending the day sheltered in burrows or under vegetation and becoming active at night, when they forage using an excellent sense of smell.

The kakapo is the only flightless parrot species in the world. Its wings are too small relative to its heavy body to support flight, though it can use them to help balance while climbing or to break a fall from a tree.

Kakapos are herbivores, feeding on native plants, seeds, fruits, and leaves, including the fruit of the rimu tree, which is closely linked to their breeding cycles.

Kakapos have moss-green, black-mottled plumage that provides excellent camouflage against the forest floor and vegetation.

Kakapos are unusually long-lived for a bird; scientists estimate an average lifespan of around 60 years, with some individuals potentially living beyond 90.

During the breeding season, male kakapos inflate an internal air sac and produce a deep, booming call that can carry roughly 1 kilometer on a still night and up to about 5 kilometers when carried by wind.

Male kakapos gather at traditional display sites called "leks," where they dig bowl-shaped depressions in the ground to help amplify their booming calls during courtship.

Kakapos only breed in years when certain native trees, especially rimu, produce large fruit crops, which can mean several years between breeding attempts.

Today, all kakapos live on a small number of predator-free offshore islands and one fenced mainland sanctuary in New Zealand, where conservationists closely monitor every known bird.

Every living kakapo has an individual name and is fitted with a radio transmitter so conservation staff can track its health, location, and breeding activity.

Kakapos have a distinctive, sweet, musty odor, which likely helped introduced predators like rats, stoats, and cats locate them more easily.

Female kakapos build nests on the ground and typically lay one to four eggs, incubating them alone for around 30 days with no help from the male.

Kakapos can live for decades without breeding at all if fruiting conditions are poor, making their reproductive rate one of the slowest of any bird.

New Zealand's Department of Conservation, working with Ngai Tahu, has run an intensive kakapo recovery program since 1995, including predator eradication, supplementary feeding, and hand-rearing of chicks.