Strigopidae - Kakapo Parrot - Strigops Habroptilus - Critically Endangered

This is the Strigopidae family. It contains the a single species genus, the Strigops.The kakapo (Māori: kākāpō) or night parrot, also called owl parrot (Strigops habroptilus), is a species of large, flightless, nocturnal, ground-dwelling parrot endemic to New Zealand.

A single species genus within the Strigopidae family. The kakapo (Māori: kākāpō) or night parrot, also called owl parrot (Strigops habroptilus), is a species of large, flightless, nocturnal, ground-dwelling parrot endemic to New Zealand.

It has finely blotched yellow-green plumage, a distinct facial disc, a large grey beak, short legs, large feet, and relatively short wings and tail. A combination of traits make it unique among its kind; it is the world's only flightless parrot, the heaviest parrot, nocturnal, herbivorous, visibly sexually dimorphic in body size, has a low basal metabolic rate and no male parental care, and is the only parrot to have a polygynous lek breeding system. It is also possibly one of the world's longest-living birds.

The kakapo is critically endangered; as of February 2019, the total known adult population was 147 living individuals, all of which are named. Because of the introduction of predators such as cats, rats, ferrets, and stoats during European colonisation, the kakapo was almost wiped out. Conservation efforts began in the 1890s, but they were not very successful until the implementation of the Kakapo Recovery Programme in 1995.

The kakapo is the only species of flightless parrot in the world, and the only flightless bird that has a lek breeding system. Males loosely gather in an arena and compete with each other to attract females. Females listen to the males as they display, or "lek". They choose a mate based on the quality of his display; they are not pursued by the males in any overt way. No pair bond is formed; males and females meet only to mate.

Psittaciformes

Strigopidae - Kakapo Parrot - Strigops Habroptilus - Critically Endangered