Kākāpō
Photo: Department of Conservation · CC BY 2.0

New Zealand Parrots

Kākāpō

Strigops habroptilus

CRCritically Endangered Endemic to New Zealand
Length
58–64 cm
Family
New Zealand Parrots (Strigopidae)
Order
Psittaciformes

Overview

The kākāpō (Māori: [ˈkaːkaːpɔː]; pl.: kākāpō; Strigops habroptilus), sometimes known as the owl-parrot, is a species of large, nocturnal, ground-dwelling parrot of the superfamily Strigopoidea. It is endemic to New Zealand.
Kākāpō can be up to 64 cm (25 in) long. They have a combination of unique traits among parrots: finely blotched yellow–green plumage, a distinct facial disc, owl-like forward-facing eyes with surrounding discs of specially textured feathers, a large grey beak, short legs, large blue feet, relatively short wings and a short tail. It is the world's only flightless parrot, the world's heaviest parrot, and also is nocturnal, herbivorous, visibly sexually dimorphic in body size, has a low basal metabolic rate, and does not have male parental care.

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Diet: Leaves, seeds, fruit and pollen; breeds when rimu trees fruit heavily.

How to identify it

  1. Flightless, nocturnal parrot, the heaviest in the world
  2. Moss-green upperparts finely barred with black
  3. Owl-like facial disc

Voice

Males 'boom' at night during breeding seasons.

Listen to recordings on xeno-canto

Where to see it

  • Predator-free islands only; no public access

Range and habitat

Now mostly Codfish Island (=Whenua Hou, west of Stewart Island); formerly North, South, and Stewart islands (New Zealand); extremely rare and intensively managed.

Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.

Continents

Countries

Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.