10 Amazing Bird Facts (Kakapo)

The kakapo, Strigops habroptilus, also called owl parrot, is a species of large, flightless, nocturnal, ground-dwelling parrot of the super-family Strigopoidea endemic to New Zealand.

Fast Facts about Kakapo

1. Kakapo are the heaviest parrot in the world. Males can weigh over 2 kg. Unique among land birds, it can store large amounts of energy as body fat.

2. The kakapo is the world’s only flightless parrot and is also unusual in being nocturnal.

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3. Although it cannot fly, it is good at climbing trees.

4. The kākāpō is a good colour for hiding, but predators can often find them because of their strong smell.

5. Kakapos freeze when startled. One of their defenses is to freeze and hope to blend into the background when danger is near.

6. The birds are herbivores and eat variety of foods such as roots, leaves and fruit

7. As with all other species of parrot, the kakapo has large scaly feet with two toes facing forwards and two toes facing backwards.

8. The kakapo has large brown eyes and it is because of it’s large eyes that the kakapo is often referred to as the owl parrot. The shape of the kakapo’s head and beak also contributes to the reason as to why the kakapo is known as the owl parrot.

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9. The kakapo will only breed in years when there is a plentiful supply of food, so the kakapo reproduction process can be a slow one.

10. Kakapo tend to live very long lives with the average kakapo individual getting to around 60 years old. It is not uncommon however, for kakapo to get to be much older and many kakapo individuals get to be nearly 100 years old!