This week we will continue with the topic of the strange flightless birds of the Pacific islands, in this case the kakapo of New Zealand.
Look at him, camouflaged there!
To begin with, the name “kakapo” translates from Māori as “night parrot.” But don’t confuse them with the Australian night parrot (although they do look quite similar). These little guys are ground-dwelling parrots and hold the record for being the heaviest parrot species in the world, weighing up to 4 kg. But even though they’re quite hefty, it’s not their weight that keeps them on the ground. They have small wings (relative to their size) and lack the necessary muscles that other birds use for flight.
They seem to have evolved to fill the niche that mammals normal would, as NZ has no land mammals. So they forage about on the ground, free from predators and other death related things. Or at least that was the plan…
Of course, not being a strong flyer is always a problem when people introduce wild killing machines and things like that, and the situation hasn’t gone very well for them. Conservation measures have been implemented to save them since the 1890s, and yet, they still survive. In 2014, there were still 126 birds remaining.
Keep looking for food, little one!
Read More:Meet the Superb Lyrebird
