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The kakapo is a unique bird

The kakapo is one of the rarest parrots in the world: • It’s flightless • It’s the world’s heaviest parrot • It's possibly the oldest living bird and • It has a subsonic mating boom that can travel several kilometres And that's just a few things that make kakapo so special! The kakapo can only be found in New Zealand and every year countless people from around the world - dozens of hard working volunteers - give their time and energy trying to save the kakapo from the brink of extinction. Most of the Kakapo Recovery takes place on remote, predator-free islands off southern New Zealand. Save as: kakapo.html  Getting up close & personal with the kakapo including The kakapo is a parrot unlike any other. What makes the kakapo so unique? One of the most notable features of the kakapo, is its distinctive, musty odour. And then there's the way it looks and behaves... It's a parrot that looks like an owl, or a giant budgie • It cannot fly, although it has large wings • It walks and jumps and is an excellent climber • It is nocturnal and can be found feeding on the ground or 20m up a rimu tree • It “skraarks” loudly like other parrots but you might mistake other calls for a braying donkey, a grunting or squealing pig, a booming bittern; and it also produces a nasal metallic noise called “chinging”. Once out in the open, the kakapo will reveal its large size, and the startling mottled moss-green body feathers that provide perfect camouflage in New Zealand's native forest. The softness of the feathers are represented in the second part of the scientific name – Strigops habroptila. A closer encounter will reveal that thick, musty kakapo smell. Strong and distinctive , the odour alerts dogs, cats and other predators to the presence of the bird and was a primary cause of the kakapo's rapid decline. People are captivated by the un-birdlike behaviour of this critically endangered parrot. Its waddling gait, curiosity, wide range of calls, and comic antics meant that the kakapo was even occasionally kept as a pet by early settlers. "The kakapo is a bird out of time. If you look one in its large, round, greeny-brown face, it has a look of serenely innocent incomprehension that makes you want to hug it and tell it that everything will be all right, though you know that it probably will not be." - Douglas Adams, British author, 1990. Save as: upclose.html Facts About the Kakapo When it comes to unique birds, the kakapo is king. It holds several world records: It's the heaviest parrot in the world • It's possibly the longest-lived bird species in the world; the low adult mortality rate suggests a mean life expectancy of 90 years • It's flightless • It's the only parrot that has a 'lek' breeding system Whenua Hou, or Codfish Island, is a large, bush-covered island about 3km off the wild west coast of Stewart Island. It provides kakapo with a 1400ha home that is very similar to their original habitat of Stewart Island, and is now the centre for kakapo recovery in New Zealand. When kakapo were originally moved to Whenua Hou, it was inhabited by rats, which can threaten kakapo eggs and chicks. Since the 1980s all predators have been progressively removed, culminating in a huge rat eradication programme in 1998. The rat eradication means that Whenua Hou is now an ideal long-term home for kakapo. This was dramatically illustrated by the phenomenal breeding event of 2002, when 24 chicks were added to the kakapo population in a matter of months. Three kakapo staff work on Whenua Hou, and have to put up with an isolated location and the wild weather of New Zealand's deep south. It has no roads and is reached by light plane or helicopter. The island is a specially-protected nature reserve, and no unauthorised landing is permitted. Save as: facts.html   Then and Now The history of the kakapo is a story of drama, despair and hope. A ground-dwelling parrot that lived on the isolated landmass of New Zealand for thousands of years, the kakapo evolved into one of the world's most remarkable birds. But with human colonisation, and the introduction of predators such as stoats, cats, rats and dogs, the species plummeted towards extinction. By 1995, there were only 50 known kakapo surviving, on a handful of small island sanctuaries. Today, with a world population of 120 and a comprehensive Kakapo Recovery Programme underway, the kakapo is on its first tentative steps to recovery. Save as: thenandno

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