The Kakapo

The Kakapo comes from New Zealand and is sometimes called the "Owl Parrot" because it is active mainly at night and has the large eyes and the body shape of an owl.

Once there would have been thousands of Kakapos in New Zealand. Now there are only about forty left. These are on two islands of the coast of the South Island.

The Kakapo is almost flightless and it is a very heavy and fat looking bird.An adult can weigh up to six and a half pounds. They are ground dwelling animals but they are able to climb trees. It eats nuts, seeds and sometimes insects.

Kakapos have a complicated mating system, they are normally solitary but the male digs a depression in the ground with paths leading to it through the surrounding scrub. He then sits in it making a very low pitched booming sound to attract his mate. This sound can be heard over long distances .The female only lays one egg every two years

The Kakapo is threatened by introduced animals such as rats which eat their young and eggs. Their slow rate of reproduction only serves to make this worse.