The
kākāpō is a
species of
nocturnal parrot,
endemic to New Zealand. It is notable for being the world's only
flightless parrot, the heaviest parrot, and the only parrot to have a
lek breeding system. It is also the only flightless lek
bird and is possibly one of the world's longest-living birds. It is the only species in the
genus Strigops and
subfamily Strigopinae. Kākāpō are critically endangered, with only 244 living individuals known as of 2024. Prehistorically, the ancestral kākāpō migrated to the islands of New Zealand and, in the absence of
mammalian predators, it lost the ability to fly. With Polynesian and European colonisation and the introduction of predators such as
cats,
rats, and
stoats, almost all the kākāpō were wiped out. Conservation efforts began in the 1890s, but they were not very successful until the implementation of the Kākāpō Recovery Plan in the 1980s. All surviving kākāpō are kept on two predator-free islands,
Chalky Island in south-west
Fiordland and
Codfish Island / Whenua Hou near
Stewart Island / Rakiura, where they are closely monitored.
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Napier ( NAY-pee-ər; Māori: Ahuriri) is a city in the Hawke's Bay region on the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is a beachside city with a seaport, known for its sunny climate, esplanade lined with Norfolk pines, and extensive Art Deco architecture. For these attributes, Napier is sometimes romantically referred to as the "Nice of the Pacific". (Full article...)