The kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus), also called the owl-parrot, is a large, night-active parrot that lives on the ground. It belongs to the superfamily Strigopoidea and is found only in New Zealand.

Kākāpō can grow up to 64 centimeters (25 inches) long. They have unique features compared to other parrots: yellow-green feathers with dark spots, a round face with special feather patterns around their eyes, large grey beaks, short legs, large blue feet, short wings, and a short tail. They are the only parrot that cannot fly, the heaviest parrot in the world, and are active at night. They eat plants, are clearly different in size between males and females, have a slow energy use, and do not care for their young. They are the only parrot with a breeding system where males compete to attract females. Some kākāpō may live up to 100 years. Adult males weigh between 1.5 and 3 kilograms (3.3 to 6.6 pounds), while adult females weigh between 0.95 and 1.6 kilograms (2.09 to 3.53 pounds).

The body structure of the kākāpō shows how birds on islands can change over time. Because there were few predators and plenty of food in New Zealand, kākāpō developed strong bodies but lost the ability to fly. This includes weaker wing muscles and a smaller chest bone. The kākāpō was important to the Māori, the original people of New Zealand, and appears in their stories. In the past, Māori hunted kākāpō for their meat and feathers.

Today, the kākāpō is critically endangered. Only 235 are known to exist as of 2026. These birds are named, tracked, and live on four small, predator-free islands in New Zealand. In 2023, some were moved back to the mainland to a protected area called Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari. Mammals like cats, rats, ferrets, and stoats nearly caused the kākāpō to go extinct. Conservation efforts failed until the Kākāpō Recovery Programme began in 1995.

Taxonomy

The kākāpō was first officially described and illustrated in 1845 by the English ornithologist George Robert Gray. He created a new genus and gave the bird the scientific name Strigops habroptilus. Gray was unsure where his specimen came from and wrote, "This remarkable bird is found in one of the islands of the South Pacific Ocean." The location where the specimen was originally found is now known as Dusky Sound, located on the southwest coast of New Zealand's South Island. The genus name Strigops comes from the Ancient Greek words strix (meaning "owl") and ops (meaning "face"), while the species name habroptilus is derived from habros (meaning "soft") and ptilon (meaning "feather").

In 1955, the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) decided that the genus name Strigops is feminine. Because of this, some scientists used the form Strigops habroptila. However, in 2023, James L. Savage and Andrew Digby argued that current ICZN rules support the original spelling habroptilus. This view was accepted, and in 2024, the International Ornithological Congress Checklist and the eBird/Clements Checklist changed the scientific name back to Strigops habroptilus. The species has no recognized subspecies.

The name kākāpō comes from the Māori language, combining kākā ("parrot") and pō ("night"). The name is used for both one bird and multiple birds. In New Zealand English, the name is increasingly written with macrons (marks over vowels) to show long sounds. The correct Māori pronunciation is [kaːkaːpɔː], though other pronunciations, such as the British English /ˈkɑːkəp oʊ/ (KAH-kə-poh), are also used.

The kākāpō belongs to the family Strigopidae, which also includes two species in the genus Nestor: the kea (Nestor notabilis) and the kākā (Nestor meridionalis). These birds are found only in New Zealand. Studies using DNA have shown that the family Strigopidae is the oldest group among parrot families and separated from others 33–44 million years ago. The common ancestor of the kākāpō and the two Nestor species split into separate groups 27–40 million years ago.

Earlier scientists thought the kākāpō might be related to ground parrots and the night parrot of Australia because of their similar colors. However, DNA studies show this is not true. Instead, the bird's coloration is an adaptation to living on the ground, which evolved independently in two different groups.

Description

The kākāpō is a large, round parrot. Adults are between 58 and 64 cm (23 to 25 in) long and have a wingspan of 82 cm (32 in). Males are much heavier than females, averaging 2 kg (4.4 lb) compared to 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) for females. Kākāpō are the heaviest living parrot species and weigh about 400 g (14 oz) more on average than the largest flying parrot, the hyacinth macaw.

The kākāpō cannot fly because it has short wings for its size and lacks a keel on the sternum (breastbone), where flight muscles attach in other birds. It uses its wings to balance and to slow its fall when jumping from trees. Lighter females can glide short distances across gaps in the canopy. Unlike many land birds, kākāpō can store large amounts of body fat.

The upper parts of the kākāpō have yellowish moss-green feathers with black or dark brownish grey markings, helping them blend with plants. Feathers vary in color and pattern, and some museum specimens show birds that were completely yellow. The breast and sides have yellowish-green feathers with yellow streaks. The belly, under tail, neck, and face are mostly yellow with pale green streaks and faint brownish-grey markings. Since their feathers do not need strength for flying, they are very soft, which is why the species is called habroptila (meaning "soft feathers"). The kākāpō has a facial disc of fine feathers resembling an owl’s face, which is why early European settlers called it the "owl parrot." The beak has soft feathers around it, and the upper part of the beak is often bluish-grey. The eyes are dark brown. Kākāpō feet are large, scaly, and zygodactyl (two toes face forward and two backward). Their strong claws help them climb. The ends of their tail feathers often wear down from dragging on the ground.

Females are easier to tell apart from males because they have narrower, less rounded heads, narrower and longer beaks, smaller nostrils, slimmer legs, and longer tails. Their feathers are similar in color to males but have less yellow and mottling. Nesting females have a bare patch of skin on their belly.

Baby kākāpō are first covered in greyish white down, through which their pink skin shows. They grow full feathers at about 70 days old. Juvenile kākāpō have duller green feathers, more uniform black markings, and less yellow. They can be told apart by shorter tails, wings, and beaks

Habitat

Before humans arrived, the kākāpō lived in many places across both main islands of New Zealand. Although it may have lived on Stewart Island before humans arrived, no kākāpō remains have been found in fossil records from there. Kākāpō lived in different areas, such as tussocklands, scrublands, and coastal regions. They also lived in forests with trees like podocarps (rimu, mataī, kahikatea, tōtara), beeches, tawa, and rātā. In Fiordland, areas with fallen rocks and regrowing plants—such as five finger, wineberry, bush lawyer, tutu, hebes, and coprosmas—became known as "kākāpō gardens."

The kākāpō is considered a "habitat generalist," meaning it can live in many types of environments. Although it now lives only on islands without predators, it once lived in nearly every climate on New Zealand’s islands. It survived hot summers on the North Island and cold winters in Fiordland’s high mountain areas. Kākāpō preferred forests with broadleaf or mountain beech and Hall’s tōtara trees, where winters were mild and rainfall was high. However, the species did not only live in forests.

Ecology and behaviour

The kākāpō is mainly active at night. During the day, it rests in trees or on the ground under cover. At night, it moves around its area.

Although the kākāpō cannot fly, it is a strong climber. It can climb to the tops of tall trees. While climbing, it uses its wings to balance. It can also "parachute" by jumping and spreading its wings. This allows it to move a short distance downward at an angle less than 45 degrees. Lighter females can glide across gaps of 3–4 meters.

The kākāpō has very little muscle in its chest, which is why it cannot use its wings to lift itself off the ground. Because it cannot fly, it needs very little energy compared to flying birds. It can survive on small amounts of food or food that is not very nutritious. The kākāpō eats only plants, including fruits, seeds, leaves, stems, and rhizomes. When it searches for food, it often leaves behind crescent-shaped bundles of plant fibers called "browse signs."

The kākāpō has strong legs because it cannot fly. It moves quickly in a "jog-like" way and can travel several kilometers. A female once made two trips each night during nesting to a food source 1 kilometer away. A male may walk up to 5 kilometers to a mating area during the mating season (October–January).

Young kākāpō play by fighting, often locking another bird’s neck under its chin. The kākāpō is curious and sometimes interacts with humans. Conservation workers have spent time with some kākāpō, which have unique personalities. However, kākāpō are usually alone.

Before humans arrived in New Zealand, the kākāpō was a successful species. It avoided birds of prey, which were its only predators. These included the New Zealand falcon, Haast’s eagle, and Eyles’ harrier. These birds hunted during the day, so the kākāpō evolved camouflaged feathers and became active at night. When threatened, the kākāpō freezes to blend into its surroundings. At night, the laughing owl hunted kākāpō, and evidence of this is found in owl nests on Canterbury limestone cliffs.

The kākāpō’s defenses were not helpful against mammals introduced by humans, such as dogs, cats, and weasels. These animals hunt at night and use their sense of smell and hearing. Humans often used trained dogs to find kākāpō. The kākāpō’s traits to avoid bird predators did not help against these new enemies, leading to its population decline.

Kākāpō are the only flightless birds that use a lek breeding system. Males gather in an area to attract females. Females listen to the males’ displays and choose a mate based on the quality of their performance. No long-term bonds form between males and females.

During the breeding season, males leave their usual areas to set up mating courts on hilltops or ridges. These courts may be 5 kilometers from their usual territory and are spaced about 50 meters apart. Males stay near their courts during the season. At the start of the breeding season, males fight to claim the best courts. They confront each other with raised feathers, spread wings, open beaks, raised claws, and loud noises. These fights can cause injuries or even death. Mating happens every two to four years when rimu trees produce a lot of fruit. In these years, males make loud, low-frequency "booming" calls for 6–8 hours each night for over four months.

Each male creates one or more bowl-shaped depressions in the ground for its court. These bowls are up to 10 centimeters deep and long enough to fit the bird’s body. The bowls are often near rocks, banks, or tree trunks to help reflect sound. The bowls amplify the males’ booming calls. Males also clear their bowls and surrounding paths of debris.

To attract females, males make loud, low-frequency booming calls from their bowls. They inflate a chest sac, starting with low grunts that grow louder. After about 20 booms, they make a high-pitched "ching" sound. The calls can be heard up to 1 kilometer away on a still night and carried farther by the wind.

Females are drawn to the booming calls and may walk several kilometers to reach the lek. Once a female enters a male’s court, the male performs a display by rocking side to side and making clicking noises with its beak. It turns its back to the female, spreads its wings, and walks backward toward her. The male then tries to mate for up to 40 minutes. After mating, the female returns to her home area to lay eggs and raise the chicks. The male continues booming to attract other females.

A female kākāpō lays 1–4 eggs in a breeding cycle, with several days between each egg. The nest is placed on the ground under plants or in hollow tree trunks. The female starts incubating the eggs after the first egg is laid but must leave the nest each night to find food. Eggs may be eaten by predators or may freeze if the mother is away too long. Eggs hatch after about 30 days, producing fluffy gray chicks that need care. The female feeds the chicks for three months, and the chicks stay with her for some time after they learn to fly. Chicks leave the nest at about 10 to 12 weeks. Predators can still harm the chicks, just as they harm eggs and adults.

The kākāpō lives a long life, with an average lifespan of 60 years (plus or minus 20 years). Males begin making booming calls at

Conservation

Fossil records show that before humans arrived in New Zealand, the kākāpō was the third most common bird in the country and lived on all three main islands. However, the number of kākāpō has dropped greatly since people settled in New Zealand. The Department of Conservation lists the kākāpō as "Nationally Critical" because it is in very serious danger of becoming extinct. Since the 1890s, people have tried to protect the kākāpō from disappearing. The most successful effort is the Kākāpō Recovery Programme, which began in 1995 and is still active today. The kākāpō is fully protected by New Zealand’s Wildlife Act 1953. It is also listed in Appendix I of CITES, which means that no one can legally trade the bird or its parts internationally.

The first reason the kākāpō population dropped was the arrival of humans. Māori stories say that when Polynesians first came to New Zealand 700 years ago, the kākāpō lived everywhere. Evidence from ancient remains shows that the bird was found on the North, South, and Stewart Islands during early Māori times. Māori hunted the kākāpō for food and used its feathers and skin to make cloaks. Because the kākāpō cannot fly, has a strong smell, and freezes when scared, it was easy for Māori and their dogs to catch. Māori also brought Polynesian rats to New Zealand, and these rats ate the kākāpō’s eggs and young. In addition, Māori cleared forests for farming, which reduced the kākāpō’s habitat. By the time Europeans arrived, the kākāpō was already gone from many areas, including the Tararua and Aorangi Ranges, but still lived in parts of the central North Island and the South Island.

Even though Māori hunting reduced the kākāpō’s numbers, the bird declined much faster after Europeans arrived. Starting in the 1840s, European settlers cleared large areas of land for farming, which destroyed more of the kākāpō’s habitat. They also brought more predators, like cats, rats, and stoats. Europeans did not know much about the kākāpō until 1845, when a scientist named Gray described it from a skin. Early European explorers and their dogs also hunted the kākāpō. In the late 1800s, the kākāpō became famous as a scientific curiosity, and thousands were captured or killed for zoos, museums, and collectors. Most of these birds died within months. By the 1870s, collectors knew the kākāpō population was shrinking, but they focused on collecting as many as possible before the bird disappeared.

In the 1880s, New Zealand released stoats, ferrets, and weasels to control rabbits, but these animals also hunted native birds like the kākāpō. Introduced animals like deer competed with the kākāpō for food and caused some of its favorite plants to go extinct. The kākāpō was still found near the Whanganui River as late as 1894, and the last known North Island kākāpō was caught in the Kaimanawa Ranges in 1895.

In 1891, the New Zealand government created a nature reserve on Resolution Island in Fiordland. In 1894, a man named Richard Henry was appointed to care for the island. He moved over 200 kākāpō and kiwi to the predator-free island to protect them. However, stoats swam to the island by 1900 and killed most of the kākāpō within six years. In 1903, three kākāpō were moved to Little Barrier Island, but feral cats killed them. In 1912, three kākāpō were sent to Kapiti Island, and one survived until at least 1936.

By the 1920s, the kākāpō was gone from the North Island, and its numbers in the South Island were falling. Fiordland became one of the last places where the bird lived. Hunters and road workers sometimes saw or heard the kākāpō in the 1930s, but by the 1940s, reports of the bird became rare.

In the 1950s, the New Zealand Wildlife Service began searching for the kākāpō in Fiordland and Kahurangi National Park. Expeditions found only a few signs of the bird until 1958, when one kākāpō was caught in Fiordland. Six more were captured in 1961, but most died quickly. By the 1960s, the kākāpō was very rare.

By the early 1970s, scientists were unsure if the kākāpō still existed. In 1974, scientists found several male kākāpō and observed their unique breeding behavior. From 1974 to 1978, 18 kākāpō were found, but all were males. This raised concerns that the species might become extinct because no females had been found. A male named "Richard Henry" was moved to Maud Island in 1975. All the kākāpō discovered between 1951 and 1976 lived in remote, steep valleys with little vegetation. However, stoats still killed the birds, and by 1976, the kākāpō was gone from the valley floors.

In 1977, scientists found kākāpō on Stewart Island. They estimated the population was between 100 and 200 birds. However, feral cats killed about 56% of the kākāpō each year. To protect the birds, scientists began controlling cats in 1982. Later, the kākāpō were moved to predator-free islands to ensure their survival.

In the 1980s, kākāpō were relocated to islands without predators to preserve their genetic diversity

Population timeline

• 1977: Kākāpō were found again on Stewart Island.
• 1989: Most kākāpō were moved from Rakiura to Whenua Hou and Hauturu-O-Toi.
• 1995: There were 51 kākāpō in the population. The Kakapo Recovery Programme began.
• 1999: Kākāpō were moved from Hauturu.
• 2002: A successful breeding season resulted in 24 baby kākāpō being born.
• 2005: There were 41 female and 45 male kākāpō, including four young birds (3 females and 1 male). Kākāpō were established on Anchor Island.
• 2009: The total kākāpō population reached over 100 for the first time since monitoring began. Twenty-two of the 34 baby kākāpō needed to be raised by humans because there was not enough food on Codfish Island.
• December 2010: The oldest known kākāpō, "Richard Henry," died. He may have been 80 years old.
• 2012: Seven kākāpō were moved to Hauturu to try to create a successful breeding program. Kākāpō had not been on the island since 1999.
• March 2014: The kākāpō population had grown to 126. An artist in Melbourne used the bird’s recovery as a symbol for the recovery of Christchurch, showing the shared strength and determination of both communities.
• 2016: The first breeding on Anchor Island occurred. A successful breeding season produced 32 baby kākāpō. The population grew to over 150.
• 2018: After three kākāpō died, the population decreased to 149 birds.
• 2019: An increase in rimu fruit and new technologies, such as artificial insemination and "smart eggs," led to the best breeding season ever recorded. Over 200 eggs were laid, and 72 baby kākāpō were born. This was the earliest and longest breeding season yet. On August 17, 2019, the population reached 200 birds that were at least one year old.
• 2022: The population increased to 252 birds after a successful breeding season and artificial insemination.
• 2023: Kākāpō were returned to the mainland for the first time.
• 2024: By September 2024, the population had slightly decreased to 243 individuals.

In Māori culture

The kākāpō is connected to many stories and beliefs in Māori culture. The bird’s unusual breeding times were linked to when certain plants, like the rimu tree, produced large amounts of fruit. This led Māori to believe the kākāpō could predict the future. Evidence for this belief came from observations of the birds dropping berries from hinau and tawa trees into quiet pools of water during seasons when these fruits were available. This practice became the basis for a Māori tradition of storing food in water for future use.

Māori considered the meat of the kākāpō a special food. When the bird was common, they hunted it for meals. One source says the meat tastes and feels similar to lamb. However, European settlers described the bird’s meat as having a strong and slightly sharp flavor.

During breeding seasons, the loud calls of male kākāpō at their mating sites made it easy for Māori hunters to find them. The birds were also hunted while eating, dust-bathing, or during dry weather. Hunters often caught them at night using traps, pits, or dogs that traveled with hunting groups. Sometimes, they used fire sticks to blind the birds in the dark, making capture easier. The meat was cooked in a hāngī or in boiling oil gourds. It could also be stored in its own fat inside containers made from tōtara bark or kelp. Bundles of kākāpō tail feathers were attached to these containers for decoration and to identify their contents. Māori also ate the bird’s eggs.

In addition to eating the meat, Māori used kākāpō skins with feathers or wove feathers into cloaks and capes made of flax. Each garment required about 11,000 feathers. These items were valued for their beauty and warmth and were considered treasures. A saying in Māori culture stated, “You have a kākāpō cape and still complain of the cold,” to describe someone who is never satisfied. Only one complete cloak made of kākāpō feathers is known to remain. It dates to the 1810s–1820s and is kept in the Perth Museum in Scotland. The museum, along with the British Museum and Māori advisors, helped restore the cloak. Kākāpō feathers were also used to decorate the heads of taiaha weapons but were removed before combat.

Despite being hunted, the kākāpō was also seen as a friendly pet by Māori. This was noted by European settlers in the 19th century, including George Edward Grey, who wrote in a letter that his pet kākāpō behaved “more like a dog than a bird.”

In the media

The conservation of the kākāpō has made the species well known. Many books and documentaries about the kākāpō's struggle have been created in recent years. One of the earliest was Two in the Bush, made by Gerald Durrell for the BBC in 1962.

A long documentary, The Unnatural History of the Kakapo, won two major awards at the Reel Earth Environmental Film Festival. Two important documentaries, both made by NHNZ, are Kakapo – Night Parrot (1982) and To Save the Kakapo (1997).

The BBC's Natural History Unit included the kākāpō in its programs, such as The Life of Birds, which featured Sir David Attenborough. The kākāpō was one of the endangered animals Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine searched for in the radio series and book Last Chance to See. An updated version of the series was made for BBC TV, where Stephen Fry and Carwardine revisited the animals to see their progress nearly 20 years later. In January 2009, they filmed the kākāpō on Codfish Island / Whenua Hou. A scene showing a kākāpō named Sirocco attempting to mate with Carwardine's head was seen by millions worldwide. This led to Sirocco becoming a spokesperson for New Zealand wildlife conservation in 2010. Sirocco inspired the party parrot, a popular animated emoji used in the workflow application Slack.

The kākāpō appeared in the episode "Strange Islands" of the documentary series South Pacific, originally aired on 13 June 2009. It also appeared in the episode "Worlds Apart" of The Living Planet and in episode 3 of the BBC's New Zealand Earth's Mythical Islands.

In a 2019 kākāpō awareness campaign, Meridian Energy, the Kākāpō Recovery Programme's New Zealand National Partner, held a Search for a Saxophonist to find music that could help encourage mating during the 2019 breeding season. The search and footage from the islands were shown on the Breakfast programme. The kākāpō was also featured in the mobile game Kākāpō Run, developed by a UK conservation charity. This game aimed to support kākāpō conservation through fun and educational gameplay. A study found that playing the game increased positive attitudes and actions related to protecting the kākāpō, such as support for managing invasive predators and responsible pet care, though it did not increase donations.

The kākāpō was voted New Zealand's bird of the year in 2008 and 2020.