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

Kākāpō can grow up to 64 cm (25 inches) long. They have unique features, such as yellow-green feathers with dark spots, a round face with forward-facing eyes, a large grey beak, short legs, and large blue feet. They cannot fly, are the heaviest parrots in the world, and are active at night. They eat plants, and males and females look very different in size. They have a slow metabolism and do not help care for their young. They are the only parrots that use a breeding system where males compete for mates in a specific area. 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 kākāpō’s body shows how birds on islands can change over time. With few dangers and plenty of food, kākāpō developed strong bodies but lost the ability to fly. They have weak shoulder muscles, small wings, and a less developed breastbone. Like many New Zealand birds, kākāpō were important to the Māori, the original people of New Zealand. They appear in Māori stories and were hunted 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 to the mainland at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari. Mammals like cats, rats, and stoats nearly caused their extinction. Conservation efforts began in 1995 with the Kākāpō Recovery Programme, which has helped protect the species.

Taxonomy

The kākāpō was first described and drawn in 1845 by the English bird expert George Robert Gray. He created a new group for this bird and gave it the scientific name Strigops habroptilus. Gray was unsure where his sample came from and wrote, "This unusual bird lives on one of the islands in the South Pacific Ocean." The specific place where the bird was first identified is Dusky Sound, located on the southwest part of New Zealand's South Island. The name Strigops comes from the Ancient Greek words strix (meaning "owl") and ops ("face"), while the name habroptilus means "soft feathers" in Greek.

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 the correct spelling should be habroptilus according to current ICZN rules. 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"). This name is used for both one bird and many birds. In New Zealand English, the name is often written with macrons (marks above vowels) to show long sounds. The correct Māori pronunciation is [kaːkaːpɔː], though other ways of saying it exist, such as the British English /ˈkɑːkəpoʊ/ (KAH-kə-poh), as noted in the Chambers Dictionary in 2003.

The kākāpō belongs to the family Strigopidae, which also includes the kea (Nestor notabilis) and the kākā (Nestor meridionalis). These birds are only found in New Zealand. Scientific studies using DNA have shown that the family Strigopidae is one of the oldest groups in the parrot family Psittaciformes. The kākāpō and the two Nestor species shared a common ancestor about 27–40 million years ago.

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

Description

The kākāpō is a large, round parrot. Adult kākāpō measure between 58 and 64 cm (23 to 25 in) in length and have a wingspan of 82 cm (32 in). Males weigh more than females, with an average weight of 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.

Kākāpō cannot fly because they have short wings for their size and lack a keel on their sternum (breastbone), where flight muscles attach in other birds. They use their wings for balance and to slow their fall when jumping from trees. Lighter females can glide short distances between tree branches. 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-gray markings, helping them blend with plants. Feathers vary in color and pattern, and some museum specimens show birds with completely yellow feathers. The chest and sides are yellowish-green with yellow streaks. The belly, under-tail, neck, and face are mostly yellow with pale green streaks and faint brownish-gray markings. Their feathers are soft because they do not need to be strong for flight, which is why their scientific name is habroptila (meaning "soft feathers"). The kākāpō has a round facial area with fine feathers that look like an owl’s face, which is why early settlers called it the "owl parrot." Their beaks are surrounded by delicate feathers that resemble whiskers. Scientists think these might help them sense the ground, but there is no proof. The beak is usually ivory with a bluish-gray top. Their eyes are dark brown. Kākāpō feet are large, scaly, and zygodactyl (two toes point forward and two backward), which helps them climb. The tips of their tail feathers often wear down from dragging on the ground.

Females are easier to tell apart from males because they have a narrower head, a longer beak, smaller nostrils, thinner legs, and a longer tail. Their feathers are similar in color to males but are less yellow and have fewer markings. Female kākāpō also have a patch of bare skin on their belly when nesting.

Kākāpō babies are born with grayish-white downy feathers, and their pink skin shows through. They grow full feathers by about 70 days old. Juvenile kākāpō have duller green feathers, more uniform black markings, and less yellow. They also have shorter tails, wings, and beaks. At this age, they have short feathers around their eyes that look like eyelashes.

Like other parrots, kākāpō make many sounds, including booms and chings during mating calls, and they often call loudly with a "skraark" sound.

Kākāpō have a strong sense of smell, which helps them find food at night. This is rare among parrots. Their brain has a large olfactory bulb, showing their strong sense of smell. Kākāpō also have a strong, sweet-smelling odor that can alert predators to their presence.

As a nocturnal bird, the kākāpō has brain parts that help it see in the dark. Its optic tectum, nucleus rotundus, and entopallium are smaller compared to daytime parrots. Its eyes have features similar to other night birds but also some traits of daytime birds, working best at twilight. This allows them to see in low light but not clearly.

The kākāpō’s skeleton is different from other parrots because it is flightless. It has the smallest wings of any parrot. Its wing feathers are shorter, rounder, and less stiff. Its sternum is small with a weak keel. Its furcula (a bone in the chest) is not fused but is made of two separate bones. The angle between its wing bones and chest is larger. Its pelvis is bigger than other parrots, and its leg bones are longer near the body and shorter near the feet.

The muscles in the kākāpō’s chest are smaller because they do not fly. The muscles that help with flight are reduced, and other muscles, like those near the throat, are larger.

Kākāpō went through a genetic bottleneck, where their population dropped to only 49 birds. This caused them to have low genetic diversity, leading to health problems and difficulty hatching eggs (61% of eggs fail). Since 2015, the Kākāpō 125+ project has studied the DNA of all living kākāpō and some museum specimens. This project is led by Genomics Aotearoa and international scientists.

Scientists studied the DNA of 35 kākāpō from an island population and 14 from a now-extinct mainland group. The island population had fewer harmful genetic mutations than the mainland group. This may be because the island population had less genetic variation over time, which reduced harmful mutations through inbreeding and natural selection. This process, called "purging," happens when harmful genes are removed from a population over generations.

Habitat

Before humans arrived in New Zealand, the kākāpō lived across both main islands. While it may have lived on Stewart Island before humans arrived, no fossils of the kākāpō have been found there. The kākāpō lived in many types of environments, such as grasslands, shrublands, and coastal areas. It also lived in forests with trees like podocarps (rimu, mataī, kahikatea, tōtara), beeches, tawa, and rātā. In Fiordland, areas where landslides or avalanches left behind soil and rocks that grew new plants—like five finger, wineberry, bush lawyer, tutu, hebes, and coprosmas—became known as "kākāpō gardens."

The kākāpō is described as a "habitat generalist," meaning it could live in many different environments. Although it now only lives on islands without predators, it once lived in nearly all climates found on New Zealand’s islands. It survived hot, dry summers on the North Island and cold winters in Fiordland’s high mountain areas. The kākāpō seemed to prefer forests with broadleaf trees, mountain beech, and Hall’s tōtara, especially those with mild winters and lots of rain. However, the species was not limited to forests alone.

Ecology and behaviour

The kākāpō is mainly active at night. It sleeps in trees or on the ground during the day and moves around its area at night.

Although the kākāpō cannot fly, it is a good climber and can climb to the tops of tall trees. It uses its wings to balance while climbing. It can also jump and spread its wings to glide short distances, sometimes moving a few meters downward at a steep angle less than 45 degrees. Lighter females can glide across gaps of 3–4 meters.

The kākāpō has very little chest muscle, making it impossible for it to use its wings to lift its body off the ground. Because it cannot fly, it needs less energy than birds that can fly. It can survive on small amounts of food or food that is not very nutritious. Unlike most birds, the kākāpō eats only plants, such as fruits, seeds, leaves, stems, and rhizomes. When it searches for food, it often leaves crescent-shaped bundles of plant fibers behind, called "browse signs."

The kākāpō has strong legs because it cannot fly. It moves quickly using a running-like motion and can travel several kilometers. A female has been seen making two trips each night during nesting to a food source up to 1 km away, and a male may walk up to 5 km during the mating season (October–January).

Young kākāpō often play by wrestling, with one bird holding another’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, such as the New Zealand falcon, Haast’s eagle, and Eyles’ harrier, by being active at night and having camouflaged feathers. When threatened, it freezes to blend in with its surroundings. At night, the laughing owl hunted kākāpō, and evidence shows that kākāpō were among its prey.

The kākāpō’s defenses were useless against mammals introduced by humans, such as dogs, cats, and mustelids. These animals hunt at night and use their sense of smell and hearing, making it easier for them to find kākāpō. The kākāpō’s traits that helped it avoid birds of prey did not help it survive these new predators.

The kākāpō is the only flightless bird that uses a lek breeding system. Males gather in an area to compete for females. Females listen to the males’ displays and choose a mate based on the quality of their performance. Males and females do not form long-term bonds and only meet to mate.

During the breeding season, males leave their usual areas to create mating grounds on hills or ridges. These grounds can be up to 5 km from their usual territory and are spaced about 50 meters apart. Males stay near their mating area during the breeding season. At the start of the season, males fight to claim the best spots. They use raised feathers, spread wings, open beaks, raised claws, and loud noises. These fights can cause injuries or even kill the birds.

Mating happens every two to four years, depending on the availability of rimu fruit. In years with heavy fruiting, males make loud, low-frequency booming calls for 6–8 hours each night for over four months.

Each male creates one or more shallow, saucer-shaped depressions in the ground, up to 10 cm deep, where it makes its calls. These depressions are often near rocks, trees, or hills to help reflect and amplify the sound. Males also clear debris from their areas to keep them tidy.

Males attract females by making loud, low-frequency booming calls from their depressions. They inflate a chest sac to produce the sound, starting with low grunts and ending with a high-pitched "ching" sound. The calls can be heard up to 1 km away on still nights and may travel farther with the wind.

Females are drawn to the calls and may walk several kilometers to reach the mating area. Once a female enters a male’s area, the male performs a display by rocking side to side, making clicking noises, and walking backward toward the female. He then tries to mate for about 40 minutes. After mating, the female returns to her home area to lay eggs and care for the young. The male continues making calls to attract other females.

A female kākāpō lays 1–4 eggs during each breeding cycle, with several days between each egg. The nest is placed on the ground under plants or in tree hollows. The female starts incubating the eggs after the first one is laid but must leave the nest every night to find food. Eggs can be eaten by predators, and the embryos may die from cold if the mother is not there. Eggs usually hatch after about 30 days, producing helpless, fluffy grey chicks. The female feeds the chicks for three months, and the chicks stay with her for some time after they can fly. Chicks are vulnerable to predators, and many have been killed by the same animals that harm adults. Chicks leave the nest at around 10 to 12 weeks old and may be fed by their mothers for up to three months.

The kākāpō lives a long life, with an average lifespan of about 60 years, plus or minus 20 years. Males begin making booming calls at about 5 years old. It was once thought that females reached sexual maturity at 9 years old, but some females have been recorded reproducing at 5 years old. The kākāpō does not breed every year and has one of the lowest reproduction rates among birds. Breeding only happens in years when trees produce a large amount of fruit, such as rimu. Rimu trees produce fruit every three to five years, so in forests where rimu is common, such as those on Whenua Hou, kākāpō breeding is rare.

Another aspect of…

Conservation

Fossil records show that before Polynesians arrived in New Zealand, the kākāpō was the third most common bird in the country and lived on all three main islands. However, since humans settled in New Zealand, the kākāpō population has dropped greatly. Its conservation status, as listed by the Department of Conservation, is still "Nationally Critical." Since the 1890s, people have tried to protect the kākāpō to stop it from going extinct. The most successful effort is the Kākāpō Recovery Programme, which started in 1995 and continues today. The kākāpō is fully protected by New Zealand’s Wildlife Act 1953. It is also listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which means it is illegal to trade the bird or its parts internationally.

The first reason for the kākāpō’s decline was the arrival of humans. Māori stories say the kākāpō lived everywhere in New Zealand when Polynesians first arrived 700 years ago. Evidence from ancient remains shows the bird lived on the North, South, and Stewart Islands before and 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 threatened, it was easy for Māori and their dogs to catch. Its eggs and young were also eaten by the Polynesian rat, which Māori brought to New Zealand. Māori also cleared forests, which reduced the kākāpō’s habitat. By the time Europeans arrived, the kākāpō was already gone from many areas, like the Tararua and Aorangi Ranges, but still lived in parts of the central North Island and forested areas of the South Island.

Although Māori reduced the kākāpō’s numbers, the bird declined even faster after Europeans arrived. Starting in the 1840s, European settlers cleared forests for farming, which destroyed more kākāpō habitat. They also brought dogs, cats, rats, and stoats, which hunted the bird. Europeans learned about the kākāpō in 1845 when a scientist described it from a skin. Early explorers and their dogs also hunted the bird. By the late 1800s, the kākāpō became a scientific curiosity, and thousands were captured for zoos, museums, and collectors. Most of these birds died within months. Collectors knew the population was shrinking but focused on collecting as many as possible before the bird disappeared.

In the 1880s, stoats, ferrets, and weasels were released to control rabbits, but they also hunted native birds like the kākāpō. Introduced animals like deer competed with the kākāpō for food and caused some plant species to go extinct. The kākāpō was last seen near the Whanganui River in 1894, and one bird was caught in the Kaimanawa Ranges in 1895.

In 1891, the New Zealand government created a nature reserve on Resolution Island. Richard Henry, a naturalist, moved over 200 kākāpō to the island to protect them. However, stoats swam to the island and killed 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 moved to Kapiti Island, and one survived until 1936.

By the 1920s, the kākāpō was gone from the North Island, and its numbers in the South Island were dropping. Its last refuge was Fiordland, where it was seen in the 1930s but became rare by the 1940s.

In the 1950s, the New Zealand Wildlife Service began searching for the kākāpō in Fiordland and Kahurangi National Park. Only a few signs were found, and by 1958, one kākāpō was captured. More were caught in 1961, but most died quickly. Fewer signs were found in the next 12 years, and only one bird was captured in 1967, which died the next year.

By the 1970s, scientists were unsure if the kākāpō still existed. In 1974, scientists found several male kākāpō and observed their breeding behavior for the first time. Between 1974 and 1978, 18 kākāpō were found, but all were males, raising concerns about the species’ survival. By 1976, the kākāpō had disappeared from valley floors and only lived on high cliffs.

In 1977, kākāpō were found on Stewart Island, with an estimated 100 to 200 birds. However, feral cats killed 56% of the population each year. Cat control began in 1982, and the birds were moved to predator-free islands between 1982 and 1997.

In the 1980s, kākāpō were relocated to islands without predators to protect their genes, prevent disease, and reduce inbreeding. A recovery plan was made in 1989, and the Kākāpō Recovery Programme was started in 1995. The Department of Conservation now manages this effort.

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; the Kakapo Recovery Programme began.
• 1999: Kākāpō were moved from Hauturu.
• 2002: A successful breeding season resulted in 24 chicks being born.
• 2005: There were 41 females and 45 males, including four young birds (3 females and 1 male); kākāpō were established on Anchor Island.
• 2009: The kākāpō population reached over 100 for the first time since monitoring started. Twenty-two of the 34 chicks needed to be raised by humans because there was not enough food on Codfish Island.
• December 2010: The oldest known kākāpō, "Richard Henry," died, possibly at 80 years old.
• 2012: Seven kākāpō were moved to Hauturu to start a breeding programme. Kākāpō had not been on the island since 1999.
• March 2014: The kākāpō population grew to 126. An artist used the bird’s recovery as an example of how Christchurch recovered, showing the strength and determination of both communities.
• 2016: Kākāpō first bred on Anchor Island; a successful breeding season produced 32 chicks. The population grew to over 150.
• 2018: After three birds died, the population dropped to 149.
• 2019: An increase in rimu fruit and new technologies, such as artificial insemination and "smart eggs," led to the best breeding season on record. Over 200 eggs were laid, and 72 chicks hatched. This was the earliest and longest breeding season yet. On 17 August 2019, the population reached 200 birds that were at least one year old.
• 2022: The population increased to 252 after a successful breeding season and artificial insemination.
• 2023: Kākāpō were reintroduced 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 stories and beliefs from Māori culture. The bird’s unusual breeding times were linked to when certain plants, like the rimu tree, produced a lot of fruit. This led Māori people to believe the bird could predict the future. Evidence for this belief included reports that kākāpō dropped berries from hinau and tawa trees into hidden pools of water during certain seasons to save them for summer. This practice became the basis of a Māori tradition of storing food in water for the same reason.

Māori people considered the meat of the kākāpō a special food. When the bird was common, they hunted it for eating. One source said its meat tastes and feels like lamb. However, European settlers described the bird’s meat as having a strong and slightly bitter flavor.

During breeding seasons, the loud calls of male kākāpō at their mating areas made it easy for Māori hunters to find them. The birds were also hunted while eating or when dust-bathing in dry weather. Hunters often caught them at night using traps, snares, or with dogs that traveled with hunting groups. Sometimes, they used fire sticks to blind the birds in the dark, making them easier to catch. The meat was cooked in a hāngī or in gourds of boiling oil. To store the meat for later, hunters wrapped it in its own fat and placed it in containers made from tōtara bark or kelp. Kākāpō tail feathers were tied to these containers for decoration and to show what was inside. 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 from flax. Each garment required up to 11,000 feathers. These items were valued as treasures because they were beautiful and kept the wearer warm. One saying was, “You have a kākāpō cape and still complain of the cold,” meaning someone who is never satisfied. Only one cloak made entirely of kākāpō feathers is known to exist today. It was made in 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, but they were removed before battle.

Despite being hunted, the kākāpō was also seen as a friendly pet by Māori. European settlers in the 19th century, including George Edward Grey, noted that the bird acted more like a dog than a bird. In a letter, Grey described his pet kākāpō’s behavior toward him and his friends as “more like that of a dog than a bird.”

In the media

The kākāpō has become well known due to efforts to protect it. Many books and documentaries have been created to share information about the challenges the kākāpō faces. One of the earliest documentaries was Two in the Bush, made by Gerald Durrell for the BBC in 1962.

A long documentary titled The Unnatural History of the Kakapo won two major awards at the Reel Earth Environmental Film Festival. Two important documentaries 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 also one of the animals Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine searched for in the radio series and book Last Chance to See. An updated version of this series, featuring Stephen Fry and Carwardine, was shown on BBC TV. In January 2009, they filmed the kākāpō on Codfish Island / Whenua Hou. A scene showing a kākāpō named Sirocco trying to mate with Carwardine's head was seen by millions worldwide. This led to Sirocco being called the "spokes-bird" for New Zealand wildlife conservation in 2010. Sirocco also inspired the party parrot, a popular animated emoji used in the app Slack.

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

In 2019, Meridian Energy, the New Zealand National Partner of the Kākāpō Recovery Programme, ran a campaign called "Search for a Saxophonist" to find music that would help encourage kākāpō mating during the 2019 breeding season. The search and footage from the islands were shown on the Breakfast programme. The kākāpō was also included in the mobile game Kākāpō Run, created by a UK conservation charity. This game aimed to teach players about kākāpō conservation through fun activities. A study found that playing the game helped people feel more positive about protecting kākāpō and take actions like managing invasive predators and caring for pets, though it did not increase donations.

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