Kākāpō

New Zealand · flightless parrot · nocturnal · endangered

Flightless night bird. Unlike most parrots, kākāpōs are active at night and spend most of their time walking around on the forest floor searching for food rather than flying through the trees.

Found only in New Zealand. Kākāpōs are endemic to New Zealand, which means they live nowhere else on Earth and are specially adapted to that island's unique environment.

Called the owl-parrot. Because kākāpōs are nocturnal like owls, people sometimes call them owl-parrots, even though they are actually large, green parrots with feathered faces that look quite different from owls.

Critically endangered birds. Kākāpōs are among the rarest birds in the world, with only a few hundred left in the wild, making them one of New Zealand's most precious animals to protect.

Big and chunky birds. Kākāpōs are much larger and heavier than most parrots, with stocky bodies and short wings, which is why they are not very good at flying.