Kākāpō — Maori for night parrot — are absolute oddballs, unique in just about every aspect of their biology and behavior. They’re the world’s only flightless parrot: Instead of soaring through the air, they use their strong feet and beaks to clamber across the forest floor and climb up trees. They’re also the world’s chonkiest parrot; males weigh nearly 5 pounds. And the superlatives don’t stop there. Kākāpō are one of the longest-lived parrots, too, with some birds estimated to reach 90 years of age.
The species was once found throughout New Zealand, before being nearly wiped out by feral predators. All of the world’s surviving kākāpō — fewer than 250 birds — now live on predator-free offshore islands. Aside from predators, the kakapo’s main problem is that they aren’t exactly prodigious breeders. Birds don’t reach sexual maturity until they’re near 5 years old, and they only reproduce when a specific species of tree, the rimu, fruits en-mass every two to four years. Their odd courtship behavior doesn’t help, either.
To demonstrate their reproductive fitness, male kākāpō toddle up a mountain, dig a hole in the dirt, and then “boom” into it for up to 8 hours straight, each night, for up to three months. These low-frequency calls can travel up to 5 kilometers. Upon hearing this enticing serenade, female kākāpō have to clamber through the forest (again, they can’t fly) and up the mountain to find the males. This display behavior, called lekking, is common in the bird world, but kakapo are the only lek-breeding parrot. Ridiculous at the best of times, this mating strategy is especially ineffective when there are only about 100 birds left. So the Kākāpō Recovery team started a captive breeding program to help bolster genetic diversity and conserve the species.
Perhaps my favorite kakapo anecdote: One wild (but hand-raised) kākāpō, Sirocco, developed an unfortunate habit of attempting to mate with people’s heads. (Don’t believe me? Watch filmmaker Mark Carwardine get “shagged by a rare parrot” as actor Stephen Fry looks on.) Trying to make the best of an awkward situation, scientists improvised a special helmet that would collect Sirocco’s semen. Unfortunately, Sirocco prefers seducing helmet-free heads, and he now receives special behavioral training to teach him to redirect his urges toward a stuffed owl puppet.
