Kakapo

The kakapo (Strigops habroptila) is a Critically Endangered, giant, nocturnal parrot. It is a classic example of evolution on an isolated island, and has a number of characteristic features that make this species unique. The kakapo is the only member of the subfamily Strigopinae and is the only flightless parrot in the world. It is also the heaviest parrot known and is possibly the longest-lived; the oldest known kakapo was elderly when found in 1975 and was still alive in 2002. Adult kakapos have beautiful mossy green plumage mottled with brown and yellow, which provides excellent camouflage against the forest floor. The face is owl-like, yellowish-brown, and framed with modified whisker-like feathers. Juvenile kakapos are slightly duller in colour than adults and have browner faces. The feathers of the kakapo are downy and soft; the scientific name habroptila means ‘soft feathers’. The subfamily Strigopinae is endemic to New Zealand, and was once widespread within the North, South and Stewart Islands, but is now extinct throughout this former range. Between 1980 and 1997, all kakapo remaining on Stewart Island were transported to offshore, predator-free islands in order to protect them from introduced mammalian carnivores. The species now occurs on Codfish and Chalky Islands.