Kakapo

The Kakapo is listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened species.The species endemic to New Zealand. Kakapo is one of the most remarkable species of bird.As well as being nocturnal and flightless,it is very long-lived and is the worlds heaviest parrot.The Kakapo has a round face that has led to its alternative name the Owl Parrot. It has barred green plumage and short wings.It breeds only once in every three to five years,when its favored feeding plants are fruiting.The males gathered at mating grounds, where they excavate a series of bowl-shaped holes in the  ground and make loud, booming calls to attract females.

This unique parrot has been decimated by hunting, forest clearance, competition with introduced deer and possums, and heavily predated by introduced mammals such as dogs,cats, stoats and rats. The species is particularly vulnerable to mammalian predators due to its flightlessness, strong scent, ground-nesting behaviour and a habit of freezing when disturbed.By 1976 only 18 male birds remained.Conservationists then decided to take all the remaining Kakapos to a predator free offshore island,where they are supervised by teams of dedicated conservationists.This has proved to be very successful and the count of as on march 2012 is 126

This is one of our three most precious kakapo. Her name is Kuia (Coo-ee-a) and she is the daughter of Richard Henry. He was the only surviving mainland Fiordland bird, which meant he had a crucial role to play in ensuring genetic diversity in the population.Kuia and her brothers Sinbad and Gulliver are the only kakapo with these Fiordland genes.

This pic was taken by Don Merton in 1998 when Kuia was 40 days old...

Late Don Merton was the man behind the original drive to find and save the last remaining kakapo...here's an image of Don with a kakapo from his collection of photos taken between 1974 to 1998



Your help is required to save these birds and you can be a part of this to donate click on the below link all proceeds go directly to Kakapo recovery

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