Kakapo everything you need to know…about a Strigops habroptilus

Food•Kakapo are vegetarians•They mainly feed on berries, leaves (bush), and seeds •They happily switch to unfamiliar foods such as apples and pears etc

Predators•Kakapo predators are stoats, weasels, otters, badgers, martens, cats, rats and ferrets. They are nearly extinct because they aren’t very good at defending themselves against predators that have been introduced into New Zealand. Before mustelids were introduced to New Zealand, Kakapo had no reason to protect themselves.

Their status: Critically

Endangered

Habitat• They are flightless birds, that is why they live on the ground.

• Because they are critically endangered, humans have attempted to make “sanctuaries” for them, to protect them from pests. A few of these are; Kapiti Island, Mountain Maungatautari, Chalky Island and Anchor Island.

Appearance•Kakapo have green and yellow feathers, large grey beak, short legs, large feet and averagely short tail and wings.•They have a sweet and slightly musty scent•They are the heaviest parrots in the world.•They are rotund (fat)•They weigh 2-4kg

Interesting Facts•It’s name translates from Latin into “owl-face”•They smell nice•They freeze when startled and try to camouflage into their backgrounds•The world’s only flightless parrot•They are the world’s longest living birds•Males court the females using a group song and dance

By Teresa Devine and Victoria Stenhouse

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