The common ancestor of the kākāpō and the two Nestor species lived around 32 million years ago. The only other extant species placed in this family are the two parrots in the genus Nestor that are also endemic to New Zealand, the kea ( Nestor notabilis) and the kākā ( Nestor meridionalis). The kākāpō is placed in the family Strigopidae. Together, they are now considered a separate superfamily within the parrots, Strigopoidea, the most basal of all living parrots. Recent phylogenetic studies have confirmed the unique position of this genus as well as the closeness to the kākā and the kea, both belonging to the New Zealand parrot genus Nestor. The bird has so many unusual features that it was initially placed in its own tribe, Strigopini. "Kākāpō" is increasingly written in New Zealand English with the macrons that indicate long vowels. The name kākāpō is Māori, from kākā ("parrot") + pō ("night") the name is both singular and plural. The generic name Strigops is derived from the Ancient Greek strix, genitive strigos "owl", and ops "face", while its specific epithet habroptilus comes from habros "soft", and ptilon "feather". The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. Gray was uncertain about the origin of his specimen and wrote "This remarkable bird is found in one of the islands of the South Pacific Ocean." The type location has been designated as Dusky Sound on the southwest corner of New Zealand's South Island. He created a new genus and coined the binomial name Strigops habroptilus. The kākāpō was formally described and illustrated in 1845 by the English ornithologist George Robert Gray. Lithograph by David Mitchell that accompanied Gray's original 1845 description. Most kākāpō are kept on two predator-free small islands, Codfish / Whenua Hou and Anchor, where they are closely monitored, while somewhat larger Little Barrier / Hauturu Island is being trialled as a third home for the species. Conservation efforts began in the 1890s, but they were not very successful until the implementation of the Kakapo Recovery Programme a century later in 1995. ![]() The past introduction of predators such as cats, rats, ferrets, and stoats during British colonisation almost wiped out the already-rare kākāpō, having suffered over-hunting from the early Māori. All are named, tagged and confined to four small islands off the coast of New Zealand that have been cleared of predators. ![]() The kākāpō is critically endangered the total known population of living individuals is 248 as of 2023. It was also heavily hunted and was used as a resource by Māori (both for its meat and for its feathers, which were used to make highly-valued pieces of clothing). It appeared in many of their traditional legends and folklore. Like many other New Zealand bird species, the kākāpō was historically important to Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. With few predators and abundant food, kākāpō exhibit island syndrome development, having a generally-robust torso physique at the expense of flight abilities, resulting in reduced shoulder- and wing-muscles along with a diminished keel on the sternum. Its anatomy typifies the tendency of bird-evolution on oceanic islands. It is also possibly one of the world's longest-living birds, with a reported lifespan of up to 100 years. ![]() It is the only parrot to have a polygynous lek breeding system. 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. Up to 64 cm (25 in) in length, these flightless birds have finely blotched yellow-green plumage, a distinct facial disc, owl-style forward-facing eyes with surrounding discs of specially-textured feathers, a large grey beak, short legs, large blue feet, and relatively short wings and tail: a combination of traits making it unique among parrots. The kākāpō ( / ˈ k ɑː k ə p oʊ/ KAH-kə-poh Māori: from the Māori: kākāpō, lit.'night parrot' PL: kākāpō), also known as owl parrot ( Strigops habroptilus), is a species of large, flightless, nocturnal, ground-dwelling parrots of the super-family Strigopoidea, endemic to New Zealand.
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