# Kakapo (*Strigops habroptilus*)

> The kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus) is a flightless, nocturnal parrot endemic to New Zealand, smelling faintly of musty-sweet vegetation and booming from track-and-bowl courts in mast years. Adults weigh about 3 kg, eat leaves, fruits, and seeds on the forest floor, and are Critically Endangered — every bird is managed on predator-free islands.

- **Category:** Bird
- **Conservation status (IUCN):** Critically Endangered
- **Range:** Predator-free islands of New Zealand under intensive conservation management.
- **Canonical page:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/kakapo/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Scientific classification

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Aves
- **Order:** Psittaciformes
- **Family:** Strigopidae
- **Genus:** Strigops

## Facts at a glance

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Strigops habroptilus |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Habitat | Forest floor of New Zealand islands |
| Lifespan | Around 60 years in the wild (varies by population and captivity). |
| Weight | About 3 kg typical adult mass (sex and region vary). |
| Top speed | Up to roughly 5 km/h when moving at speed. |
| Conservation status | Critically Endangered (IUCN) |

## Owl parrot of the night

Soft moss-green plumage, a facial disc of sensory feathers, and a stout bill for grinding plant fibre define the kākāpō. Flight muscles are reduced; birds climb trees then parachute down. Males dig shallow bowls and boom infrasound to attract females in breeding years.

## Mast-year herbivore

Diet is leaves, shoots, fruits, seeds, and pollen — especially rimu and other native plants. Breeding typically follows heavy mast fruiting, so successful seasons are irregular.

## Managed island refuges

Once widespread on mainland New Zealand, wild birds now live only on intensively managed predator-free islands. Every individual is named, radio-tagged, and monitored by the Kākāpō Recovery programme.

## Critically Endangered icon

Stoats, rats, and cats drove near-extinction. Hand-rearing, supplementary feeding, and island eradications have lifted numbers from a few dozen to a few hundred — still Critically Endangered and entirely conservation-dependent.

## Frequently asked questions

### Why can't kākāpō fly?

Evolving without mammalian predators, they lost powered flight; heavy bodies and short wings suit climbing and gliding down, not sustained flight.

### Why do kākāpō boom?

Males produce low-frequency booms from track-and-bowl courts to advertise to females over long distances, mainly in mast breeding years.

### How many kākāpō are left?

Numbers remain in the low hundreds and change with each breeding season; all birds are individually managed.

### What do kākāpō eat?

Native leaves, fruits, seeds, and pollen — they are herbivorous parrots of the forest floor and understorey.

### Are kākāpō nocturnal?

Yes — they forage and display mainly at night, resting in cover by day.

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/kakapo/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.