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Species: Strigops habroptilus = Kakapo, owl parrot. Owl parrot

Owl parrot or kakapo - rare bird, which has predominantly lived in New Zealand for thousands of years. main feature birds is that they cannot fly. This is due to the fact that they live in places where predators do not live, from which they are required to fly long distances. Of course, this is not all, kakapo has many qualities that are worth learning more about.

The owl parrot got its name because it resembles an owl in appearance. The feathered representative has the same plumage with a fan structure and has a similar front part of the head. If you see it for the first time, you can easily confuse it with an owl. Sometimes it is called the parrot with the face of an owl.

But the kakapo parrot is endowed with characteristic outward signs worth paying attention to:

  • birds have light and soft feathers. In parrots of other breeds, the plumage is strong and rigid, this is due to frequent flights;
  • they have a yellow-green color, slowly brightening in the abdominal part;
  • the bird is endowed with masking colors, so it can be overlooked among trees, mosses, vegetation;
  • on the head, the feathers look like a disk. It also functions as a locator;
  • Kakapos are heavy birds. The weight of males can be 4 kg, and females can weigh 2.8 kilograms;
  • body length - 60 cm;
  • they have short and strong legs;
  • small wings;
  • they have a large and sharp beak. It is painted gray, while it brightens towards the end;
  • around the beak there are thin vibrissae that allow the birds to move in the dark.

Worth a look for one more salient feature- Parrots have a strong smell. The smell from them comes cloying, but it is pleasant. It resembles a floral-honey fragrance. According to scientific research it was found that this is how birds get to know each other.

parrot that doesn't fly

It is the only flightless parrot in the world. Yes, it does not fly, this function is not necessary for it. He has wings, like any bird, but they are short. With the help of them, he cannot fly over long distances, at most he can fly up a tree and descend from it to the ground.

When danger arises, they do not need wings, they can quickly move on strong paws over long distances. They have wide and prehensile feet that allow them to climb high in trees. They also allow you to maintain stability when landing from a great height.

habits

Kakapo parrots are endowed with a kind, not at all warlike character. They show friendliness and affection. By nature, they strongly resemble pets, because they constantly require love, affection and attention.

This is a nocturnal parrot because it has increased activity at night. Feathers are sociable, they easily find mutual language with a person, while they can learn tricks and tricks.

Lifestyle in the wild

Owl parrots are native to New Zealand. In this area there is a lot of vegetation, trees, grasses in which they are used to living.

It is worth highlighting the features of parrots that live in the wild:

  • birds are very fond of territories with high humidity which are located at a considerable height above sea level;
  • it's a nocturnal parrot. AT daytime it usually sleeps in night burrows, which may be under tree roots;
  • at night he goes out open area, walks along the beaten paths and looks for food.

Each bird of the kakapo breed has its own habitat. For a male, its area is 20 hectares, and for females - 50 hectares. The gait of birds resembles the swinging of a duck. In hard times, they accumulate fat, so they protect themselves from starvation. When danger occurs, the bird freezes in place and tries to merge with the vegetation.

Nutrition

The nutrition of a poorly flying parrot is quite varied. His diet may include different plants, berry, reptiles, fruits. With the help of such food, they are saturated with all the necessary vitamins and substances to maintain an active life.

The diet of birds includes the following components:

  • small reptiles;
  • berry;
  • plant pollen;
  • especially strongly they love the fruits of rimu. In order to get them, they have to climb trees 20 meters high, and then they fly off them with the help of wings;
  • roots;
  • seeds;
  • mushrooms;
  • plant sap;
  • some insects.

reproduction

The owl parrot is the only species among its representatives that has a polygamous breeding system. AT mating season A male can mate with multiple females at the same time.

It is interesting! Kakapo have interesting feature- during the mating season, they make characteristic sounds that are similar to “lekking”. This is how they try to attract the attention of the opposite sex.

Puberty in feathered representatives of this breed depends on gender. In females, it occurs at 6 years, and in males at 4 years. The breeding season starts in December.

To attract the attention of females, males use the following techniques:

  • the awakened parrot is looking for high mounds and climbs on them. Then it starts making a low frequency sound that resembles a rumbling. It can be heard within a radius of 5 km;
  • so that the dispersion of sounds is better, they dig a hole in the ground with a shallow depth;
  • he can make several holes;
  • then every night for 3-4 months he bypasses them and calls the females;
  • as soon as the female hears the call, she goes in search. If she likes the male, then mating occurs;
  • after mating, the female goes to build a nest and incubate eggs. But the male continues to call further than other females.

Lifespan

The night parrot kakapo is the most ancient bird. It is for this reason that birds are long-livers. On average, birds live from 90 to 95 years.

On the brink of extinction

On the this moment The night kakapo parrot is listed in the Red Book because it is an endangered species. There are only 130 of them in the world. For this reason, most of them are under the strict supervision of scientists.

However, birds are of high interest to humans. Poachers catch birds and kill them. They are attracted by the beautiful plumage of parrots, which can be used to make jewelry for clothes. They also have quite tasty and nutritious meat.

In New Zealand, in the process of developing new territories for growing yams, sweet potatoes, taro, people began to actively cut down forests. This led to the fact that many parrots lost their homes and food. All this had a negative impact on the population of birds.

A huge role in the disappearance of owl parrots was played by European settlers, who brought mice and rats with them. If adult parrots could escape from rodent attacks, they climbed trees, then chicks and eggs remained in danger. After the number of birds was about 30, scientists raised the alarm and listed them in the Red Book.

The kakapo parrot is an unusual bird that attracts with its beauty and unique character. Despite the fact that he cannot fly, he lives perfectly in the conditions wildlife, the absence of this function does not cause difficulties for him. And his friendly and affectionate nature allows him to find a common language with everyone.

The kakapo is the only flightless parrot in the world.

This large bird - kakapo, or owl parrot, (Strigops habroptilus) - is the only parrot that has forgotten how to fly in the process of evolution. It lives only in the southwestern part of the South Island (New Zealand), where it hides in the dense thickets of the forest. It is there, under the roots of trees, that this parrot makes a hole for itself. He spends the whole day in it and only after sunset does he leave there to go in search of food - plants, seeds and berries.

Kakapo is the world's only flightless parrot. Let's find out more about it...



Before the discovery of the South Island by European settlers, the owl parrot had no natural enemies. And since the bird had no need to escape from anyone, it simply lost the ability to fly. Today, the kakapo can only glide from a low height (20-25 meters).

At the same time, owl parrots lived next door to the Maori, the indigenous inhabitants of the islands of New Zealand, who hunted them, but caught only as many birds as they could eat. Then the kakapo was a fairly numerous species, but the Maori began to cut down areas of the forest in order to grow sweet potatoes "kumara", yams and taro (tubers of this tropical plant eaten). Thus, they unwittingly deprived the parrots of their habitat.

The number of the owl parrot gradually decreased, but the birds were in critical danger with the arrival of European settlers, who brought with them cats, dogs, ermines and rats. Adult kakapo managed to escape from new predators, but they were unable to save their eggs and chicks. As a result, by the 1950s, only 30 owl parrots remained on the island.

From that moment on, the hunting of kakapo and their export from New Zealand was completely banned. Scientists placed some individuals in nature reserves and began to collect their eggs to protect them from predators. In specially designated rooms, kakapo eggs were placed under hens, who hatched them as if they were their own. Today, a unique bird is listed in the Red Book. Its number has ceased to decrease and even began to gradually increase.

The maximum that a kakapo is capable of is to climb a tree, and glide cool from there to the ground. Scientists attribute the inability to fly as an adaptation to the almost complete absence of predators in natural environment habitat.

Same way, kakapo is the largest parrot in the world. No, it's not big, it's huge! The weight of males reaches 4 kg, which is slightly less than the weight of the taiga capercaillie. Also, these flightless birds can perhaps be ranked among the longest-lived birds, since their average life expectancy is 95 years.

And yet, kakapo exudes a very strong, and, according to eyewitnesses, pleasant smell. In view of developed sense of smell it probably serves to signal each other's presence.

Kakapo spends most of his life on the ground. It is found exclusively in New Zealand, in areas overgrown with various kinds of trees and shrubs. Strictly speaking, it would be more correct to say “met”, since at present only a hundred and a few kakapo individuals are left alive. The main reason for their almost complete extinction was the predators brought to the islands by Europeans - rats that eat chicks and masonry, and martens that hunt adults. The slow rate of reproduction has also contributed to the extinction of birds.

The plumage of the kakapo has a protective color. The upper part is yellowish green, with black or dark brown spots, which provides excellent camouflage in mossy undergrowth and grass. The lower part of the body is noticeably lighter, the feathers here are yellowish, with small pale green patches. The kakapo feather is surprisingly soft, as it has lost the rigidity and strength that flying bird feathers need.

One more hallmark This parrot is the presence of a facial disc like that of owls, due to which the first European settlers called the kakapo nothing more than an owl parrot.

The powerful hooked ivory beak is surrounded by tufts of thin vibrissae, with the help of which the bird navigates in the dark. A typical kakapo movement posture is with its face buried in the ground.

The legs of the parrot are scaly, with four toes, two of which are facing forward and two back. The tail often appears frayed due to the constant dragging on the ground.

However, not only appearance and habits make kakapo a special bird. No less interesting marriage ritual. Since individuals live most living in splendid isolation, during the breeding season, males need to somehow attract a female. To do this, they use a loud, low-frequency sound produced by a special throat pouch. In order for the sound to spread around the area better, the male digs a bowl-shaped depression about 10 cm deep in the ground, which is used as a resonator.

Each male kakapo tries to make several of these resonators in the most the best places- on the hills and hills. On this basis, opponents often start fights, where beak and claws are used as arguments, and the fight is accompanied by loud screams.

Within three to four months, the male spends 8 hours every night, running from hole to hole and announcing the district with a calling call, which is heard within a radius of up to 5 km. During this time, he can lose up to half of his body weight.

Hearing the love call of the male, the female kakapo sometimes has to walk several kilometers until she gets to the chosen one. After simple courtship, mating takes place, after which the female goes home, and the parrot continues the current, hoping to attract other partners.

The nest is arranged directly on the ground, under cover of roots or bushes, or hollow tree trunks. The clutch can consist of a maximum of 3 eggs, incubation of which lasts about 30 days. It is noteworthy that the breeding cycle of kakapo is irregular, and largely depends on the abundance of food.

Hatched fluffy gray chicks are under the care of their mother for almost a year, until they can lead an independent life. Sexual maturity of the bird is reached no earlier than at 5-6 years of age.

Kakapo feeds on a variety of seeds, fruits, pollen and plants. The most favorite food of an owl parrot is the fruit of the rimu tree, which the bird prefers to all other types of food (when available, of course).

Such a breed of birds as the kakapo parrot or owl parrots have been living in New Zealand for more than a thousand years. The peculiarity of such a bird is that it is a flightless parrot. Since they have been living in areas where there are no predators for many years, they have already lost the ability to fly.

Characteristics of owl parrots

The bird received the name "owl parrot" from Europeans, due to the fact that it is very similar to an owl with its fan plumage and the front of the head.

And they got their name from the Maori people, who are indigenous to New Zealand. This people lived in the north of the country long before the appearance of Europeans there. The songs and legends of this people contain references to the kakapo.

Number of Owl Parrots in New Zealand substantially decreased. When European settlers brought other animals with them - martens, rats, dogs and cats. Animals and people hunted flightless parrots for feathers and meat. Also, the population of these birds has declined due to deforestation for the purpose of subsequent land development.

By the early 1970s, there were only 18 kakapo specimens, and they were males. But a few years later, another group of owl birds was discovered on Stewart Island, thanks to which the species was revived. Created in New Zealand working group on the basis of the Department of Nature Conservation, designed to protect the species and promote its growth.

Nowadays, owl parrots live only on those islands where they are not threatened by predators:

  • Anchor Island (southwestern part of Fiordland);
  • Little Birrier (Hauraki Bay);
  • Codefish;
  • Stuart.

The current population of the species is 125 individuals. Specialists strive to ensure that the number of adult females is equalized in each population to 50 individuals.

What does a kakapo parrot look like and where does it live

- This is a fairly large bird, it has an unusual and loud voice. He wheezes a little, his voice a little like a grunt.

External characteristics kakapo parrots are as follows:

parrots have strong smell- it is sugary, but pleasant, floral-honey aroma. Scientists explain this by the fact that this is how individuals recognize each other.

Since the owl parrot is one of the most ancient birds in the world, it is centenarian. On average, flightless species live for about 95 years.

During the day, the bird is most often in its shelter, and at night it goes hunting. Owl parrots are loners, they come into contact with relatives only during the mating season.

They settle mainly in burrows or rocky crevices located in dense thickets of shrubs or trees.

Owl parrots live at an altitude of 1500 m above sea level in places with highest humidity.

Birds move with their heads down to the ground. Their strong paws allow them to jump and climb dexterously. And the speed that they are able to develop allows them to easily overcome long distances.

Most of their lives, these parrots live on the ground.

How do kakapo parrots eat and breed?

Owl parrots do not breed every year. The frequency of this process largely depends on the yield of such a tree as dacridiums.

As for the diet, the fetus plays a key role in it. rome obtained from these trees. It is behind them that birds are able to rise to a height of up to 30 meters along the branches and trunks of trees.

In addition to rimu, they eat the following foods:

But if the birds have enough fruits of rimu, then they will eat only them. These fruits include vitamin D responsible for the reproduction of kakapo representatives. Rimu fruits are the only source of this vitamin in the amount required for poultry.

For the purpose of regular reproduction, specialists have developed granules with a vitamin supplement, acting as a top dressing, which stimulate reproductive function of the bird. Thanks to this additive, female owl parrots are able to successfully feed chicks even in the event of a crop failure of dacridium.

Owl parrots are the only species of these birds that have polygynous system breeding. So, during the mating season, the male can simultaneously mate with several females at once. And only kakapo have the property of "leaking" during the mating season.

Puberty occurs in females at 6 years, and in males at 4 years. The breeding season for owl parrots begins in December and looks like this:

  • males flightless birds inflate feathers and resemble balls;
  • then they choose in their territory the most high point and dig holes there to a depth of about 10 cm;
  • then the males are placed in the middle and make about 20 times a “thumping” sound that creates a resonance and spreads at a distance of 5 km. This sound expresses their readiness for mating, followed by a ringing sound similar to a "ding", thanks to which the females find partners. To create sounds, males use a special “throat bag”, and the sounds themselves are called “lekking” in science;
  • such "singing" of males continues every night for three months. This process resembles a competition, the winner is the one who makes the most sounds. Since there are several holes, males are forced to travel long distances for maximum notification. Males at this time lose half their weight due to regular long runs.

A unique phenomenon among the entire species is the creation of " well cups» owl parrots.

Females incubate about 2-4 eggs per month. At this stage, the males no longer participate, the females look for their own food and at this time leave the nest. And the chicks leave the nest after about 10 days, but the females fed offspring up to 6 months.

When the female is already laying eggs, the male continues "current" process and attracts new partners.

Kakapo character traits

By nature, owl parrots similar on wavy representatives of this species. They are very friendly and easily get along with people. Those experts who are in close contact with them assure that, like other birds, kakapo have their own individual character. Among the key features of owl parrots are the following:

  • incredulity;
  • grouchiness;
  • gluttony;
  • attachment to people;
  • need for attention.

And also unique feature This bird is that during a fright, it freezes in place. This defensive reaction often makes kakapo easy prey for predators.

The incredible efforts of volunteers and scientists made it possible to save this rare bird species from complete extinction. Despite the fact that kakapo live only in New Zealand, he knows about them a large number of people who provide support in every possible way aimed at preserving these rare species birds.

The parrots in question have been living in New Zealand for many thousands of years. Kakapo belong to the parrot family (lat. Strigops habroptilus), one of unique features which, is the inability to fly. As a result of living in areas where there are no predators that threaten the lives of birds, kakapo have completely lost their flying skills.

These parrots have two names: owl parrot and kakapo.

The first Europeans called the birds an owl parrot because of the fan plumage in the front of the head, which is very similar to an owl.

Kakapo is what the Maori called ( indigenous people New Zealand). This people lived in the north long before the Europeans arrived there. In Maori legends and songs, you can often hear about these birds.

After the appearance of settlers who brought with them cats, dogs, rats and martens, the number of owl parrots began to decline sharply. Birds were hunted not only by animals, but also by people who killed kakapo for meat and feathers. Deforestation for land development has significantly reduced the habitat of owl parrots.

By 1970, about 18 individuals remained, which turned out to be males. But after 7 years, a group of parrots was discovered on Stewart Island, which gave a chance to revive this species. The New Zealand Department of Conservation immediately created a group of people whose work is aimed at protecting and increasing the number of kakapo.

Today, kakapo live exclusively on those islands where they are not in danger of becoming victims of predators: Anchor Island in the southwest of Fiordland and Little Barrier in Hauraki Bay, Codfish and Stewart Islands. Thanks to the care of volunteers and the DOPNZ project, the population has reached 125 birds. People tend to equalize the number of mature females in each population to 50 individuals.

Description of the species

Owl parrots - large birds, with an unusual voice that is quite loud: in addition to hoarseness, it is compared with the grunting of a pig, its squeals, the call of a bittern and the cries of a donkey.

The feather of the kakapo is light and soft, unlike its relatives, which, thanks to flights, have hard and strong feathers. The maximum that owl parrots are capable of is using their wings to glide from a tree on an inclined slope to the ground from a height of 20-30 meters.

The color of the birds is yellow-green, gradually brightening in the abdomen. Brown or black spots are scattered throughout the plumage. Due to its camouflage coloration, kakapo is not so easy to spot among the leaves, tree roots, branches, mosses and lichens that cover forest areas.

Flightless parrots prefer to be in their shelters during the day and go out to fish at night.

Owl parrots are solitary birds that seek contact with their brethren only during the breeding season.

Kakapo settle in holes or crevices of rocks, which are located in dense thickets of trees and shrubs.

Owl parrots can be found at an altitude of 1500 m above sea level, in the areas of New Zealand with the highest humidity.

On the bird's head, feathers are arranged in the form of a disk, which also acts as a kind of locator.

Kakapos smell very strongly - it is a pleasant sugary, honey-floral aroma. Scientists explain this feature - the way parrots recognize each other.

They are also the heaviest parrots - the body weight of males reaches 4 kg, and females 2.8 kg. Body length about 60 cm.

Owl parrots are one of the oldest bird species and are long-lived. The average life expectancy of these unique parrots is 95 years!

The kakapo has strong short legs, small wings and a large sharp gray beak that brightens towards the end. Around the beak, kakapo grow thin vibrissae that help the bird move at night. The short tail often looks shabby due to dragging on the ground.

Owl parrots move with their heads down to the ground. Strong paws allow jumping and deftly climbing trees. The speed that parrots develop helps them overcome kilometer distances.

For most of their lives, birds are on the ground.

Nutrition and reproduction

Reproduction of kakapo is not annual: an important factor is the yield of dacridium trees. The fruits of the rimu (as these trees were called by the Maori) are the main food of nestors. It is behind them that birds, using their strong paws, rise up to 30 meters up the trunks and branches of trees.

In addition to rimu, the diet of parrots contains grass and plant seeds, stems and flowers, roots and bark, fruits and berries.

When there are enough fruits for rimu, kakapo feed exclusively on them. Cypress dacridium fruits contain vitamin D, which is responsible for the reproduction of owl parrots. Rome are the only source of this component in the right amount.

Therefore, for regular breeding, scientists have developed special granules with a vitamin supplement, which are top dressing that stimulates the reproductive functions of the body of parrots. Thanks to this top dressing, female kakapo can safely feed chicks in a lean year of dacridium.

This is the only parrot species that has a polygynous breeding system - during the mating season, the male can mate with several females at once.

In addition, the kakapo has another individual trait - of all types of parrots, only they "lek" during the mating season.

Females reach puberty only after 6 years, while males - after 4.

The kakapo breeding season begins in December. At this time, male flightless parrots inflate their feathers and become like balls. Having chosen the highest point on their territory, they dig holes 10 cm deep.

Then the males stand in the middle, make a “boom” sound about 20 times, which, due to resonance, spreads within a radius of 5 km. It is a signal of readiness for mating, and the ringing sound “ding” following it helps the females to determine where the partner is.

To create sounds, males use a special "throat bag".

Ornithologists call the sounds they make "lekking".

The singing of males continues all night for 3 months. This process looks like a competition, where the one who makes the most sounds wins. Since there are several holes, the males have to travel considerable distances to notify the entire district. Due to the daily 5 km races, males lose almost half of their weight.

The created “bowl-holes” of kakapo are absolutely unique phenomenon among parrots.

Kakapo females incubate from 2-4 eggs for about a month. Males no longer participate at this stage, so female parrots independently look for food, leaving the nest for this time. The chicks leave the nest after 10 weeks, but the female continues to feed her offspring up to 6 months.

At the time when the female lays eggs, the male continues to "lek", attracting new partners.

Kakapo habits

By nature, kakapo is compared with budgerigars. They are good-natured and easily find a common language with a person. Volunteers who have close contact with farmed birds confirm that kakapos, like any other bird, have their own individual character.

Friendliness, distrust, grouchiness and gluttony are also inherent in these extraordinary birds. They also know how to show their love and affection for a person, demand attention.

An interesting feature of owl parrots is that during a fright, the bird freezes in place.

Because of such a defensive reaction, for predators brought by people, parrots became easy prey.

The hostess of the revolutionary instigator Gavroche and the shy "elephant in the china shop" Marshal.

Kakapo is one of the most unusual feathered animals on earth. And this bird lives exclusively on one of the islands in New Zealand.
The peculiar name Kakapo or owl parrot, the bird received for its similarity with a parrot and an owl. From an owl, a feathered relative got a muzzle, on which there are golden feathers, which, arranged in a spiral, form a disk. And from a parrot - a very bright green color. Also the bird leads the owl, night image life.

Despite the presence of an impressive size of wings, the owl parrot does not know how to fly at all. Kakapo is the only flightless parrot. Scientists explain it total absence enemies in their natural environment habitat. Therefore, due to the lack of need, in the process of evolution, the muscles responsible for flight atrophied, but the wings remained. The maximum use of their wings, kakapo uses when planning from trees or from other hills.


Kakapo, unlike its other relatives - parrots, is a bird very big size. The weight of a bird can reach up to 4 kilograms. Which can be explained by the inability to fly.
In exchange for the lack of ability to fly, the owl parrot has developed an excellent ability to climb rocks and trees, using muscular paws and very sharp claws. It is absolutely not difficult for a bird to climb rocky cliffs.
This rare animal surprises ornithologists not only with its weight and appearance, but also with its lifespan. Kakapo is the longest living parrot. The average duration is about 90 years.


Owl parrot chicks develop quite slowly. The ability to live independently, without the care of the mother, kakapo acquires only by the age of one. And the ability to reproduce only by 5-6 years.
Preference in nutrition, kakapo is given to seeds, various fruits and plants. But a favorite delicacy for parrots is the fruit of the rimu tree (it grows only in New Zealand).
Today, unfortunately, this amazing bird is on the verge of extinction. There are no more than 150 representatives of this species left, and the reason for this, of course, was a man.
The bird, which had no enemies, was not at all afraid of the people who arrived on their island and behaved like a curious puppy. So, she became easy prey for the first Polynesians. And then, the Europeans who arrived on the island began to import predators: rats, cats, ermines, which exterminated most of the population.

Continued see interesting video about this interesting bird kakapo. These parrots are not at all afraid of people, one copy laid eyes on the operator - the operator got a lot from the loving kakapo.