The kākāpō (owl parrot)
Strigops habroptila
The museum’s exhibition includes a specimen of one of the rarest birds on earth. The Māori people of New Zealand call it the kākāpō, which means “night parrot”. At 4 kg, it is the heaviest parrot in the world. However, its weight prevents it from flying, like some other birds in New Zealand, making it flightless.
The kākāpō is the only representative of the owl parrot genus. Like owls, kākāpōs have a facial disc that they can turn to one side or the other, which they use for better hearing at night. They also have bristles on their beaks which allow them to feel things. They feed on forest fruits. During the mating season, the males gather in a special display arena and woo females with low booming calls. The sound is reminiscent of the deep bass of our native bittern.
When in danger, kākāpōs freeze on the ground instead of climbing trees and rely on their camouflage colouring. This behaviour is an adaptation to attacks by eagles, the kākāpōs’ former enemies. However, the arrival of humans is associated with the introduction of dogs, cats, martens and rats, and these birds are easy prey for them. The kākāpōs’ strong sense of smell also proves to be their undoing. By the mid-1990s, there were only 50 individuals left. The last of the birds were therefore relocated to small islands such as Codfish Island and have since been the subject of one of the most extensive species conservation programmes. There are currently around 200 kākāpōs in New Zealand again.
