kakapo

[kah-kuh-poh]

noun

plural

kakapos 

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

kakapo

/ ˈkɑːkəˌpəʊ /

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of kakapo¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of kakapo¹

C19: from Māori, literally: night kaka

Example Sentences

On one predator-free island—home to threatened species such as a flightless parrot called the kakapo—the government spent some $295,000 over eight months tracking down a single stoat.

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Campaign managers for other birds called foul, calling on New Zealanders to get involved and vote for other birds including the kakapo parrot and the national bird, the kiwi.

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The population of New Zealand's kakapo, an endangered flightless parrot, has increased 25% in the last year to 252 birds following a good breeding season and success with artificial insemination, the conservation department said Tuesday.

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

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The kakapo have been nearly wiped out by introduced predators such as stoats as the birds cannot fly.

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