The kakapo (Strigops habroptilus) is a flightless, nocturnal parrot endemic to New Zealand, and the heaviest parrot species on Earth, with adults weighing up to 4 kilograms. Its wings are too small for flight but are used for balance and to break falls from trees, which it climbs with surprising agility. Historically, kakapo occupied forests across both the North and South Islands, but predation by introduced mammals, particularly stoats, rats, and cats, drove the species to near-extinction and confined surviving individuals to a handful of intensively managed offshore islands, including Codfish Island (Whenua Hou) and Anchor Island.
Kakapo are the only parrots known to use a lek mating system, in which males gather at bowl-shaped arenas carved into the ground and produce deep, booming calls to attract females across distances of up to several kilometers. They are also the only parrot species confirmed to be entirely herbivorous, feeding on leaves, bark, roots, and fruit. Their breeding is closely tied to mast seeding events, particularly the fruiting of rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum), meaning reproduction may occur only once every two to six years. As of 2024, the total known population stands at around 247 individuals, according to the Kakapo Recovery Programme, making every bird's survival a named and tracked conservation priority.
As of 2024, there are around 247 kakapo alive, all living on predator-free islands managed by New Zealand's Department of Conservation. Every individual bird is named, health-monitored, and fitted with a transmitter, making the kakapo one of the most intensively managed species on Earth, according to the Kakapo Recovery Programme.
A kakapo is a critically endangered, flightless, nocturnal parrot native to New Zealand, and the world's heaviest parrot, with males reaching up to 4 kilograms. It is also the only parrot known to use a lek-based mating system, where males gather to compete for females through deep, booming calls.
Kakapo are herbivores that eat leaves, stems, roots, pollen, and fruit, with rimu fruit being critically important during mast-fruiting years. Breeding in kakapo is closely tied to rimu mast events, which occur only every two to four years on New Zealand's offshore sanctuary islands.
Kakapo cannot fly because their breast muscles are too small to generate the necessary lift, and their feathers lack the structural rigidity of flight feathers. They do use their wings for balance and to slow descents when leaping from trees, a behavior researchers call "parachuting."
All surviving kakapo live on three predator-free island sanctuaries off New Zealand: Codfish Island, Anchor Island, and Little Barrier Island. They were relocated from the mainland and from Fiordland, where introduced stoats, rats, and cats had driven them to near-extinction.
Kakapo are critically endangered, according to the IUCN Red List, primarily because Polynesian and European settlers introduced rats, stoats, and cats to New Zealand, predators the birds had no evolutionary defenses against. Their slow reproduction, with females breeding only during rimu mast years, makes population recovery exceptionally difficult.
No projects have listed this species yet. If you run a project that protects the Kakapo, you can add it to Wildlife Connect.
