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kakapo

American  
[kah-kuh-poh] / ˌkɑ kəˈpoʊ /

noun

kakapos plural
  1. a large, almost flightless nocturnal parrot, Strigops habroptilus, of New Zealand: an endangered species.


kakapo British  
/ ˈkɑːkəˌpəʊ /

noun

  1. a ground-living nocturnal parrot, Strigops habroptilus, of New Zealand, resembling an owl

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of kakapo

1835–45; < Maori kākāpō ( kākā kaka + night)

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The population of the kakapo, which is the world’s heaviest parrot, is now at its highest number since the 1970s.

From Reuters Aug. 9, 2022

Behind them was a kakapo — a large, flightless parrot — which was last year’s champion.

From Seattle Times Nov. 1, 2021

Andrew Digby works to protect the kakapo, a critically endangered New Zealand bird.

From Nature Apr. 23, 2020

"The aim of our programme is for every child to grow up knowing what a kakapo is, just like an elephant or a lion."

From BBC Apr. 17, 2019

Her laugh turns into a cry and I am up in the air finally, but I’m not a kakapo anymore.

From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon

Until the 1970s, kakapos were thought to be extinct until a group was discovered on Stewart Island, south of the country's South Island.

From BBC Apr. 17, 2019

With so much fruit, many female kakapos have bred earlier and, in some cases, laid two clutches of eggs.

From BBC Apr. 17, 2019

There are a little more than a hundred kakapos left on Earth.

From National Geographic

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