Good News About the Kākāpō

The critically endangered kākāpō is the world's only flightless parrot, now living only on four islands off the coast of New Zealand. They once flourished, but were hunted almost to extinction by humans and by cats, rats, and other invasive species brought in during British colonization. Earlier in the 20th century, they were thought to be extinct, but a few were discovered in the 1970s surviving on small islands. Now they are fiercely protected by the the Kakapo Recovery Programme which began in 1995. Since then, every kākāpō is named and monitored. And with a successful 2022 breeding season, their numbers are slowly climbing!

They are hatched with faces only a mother could love, and feet the size of Texas. But they will eventually grow to be rotund adults with nice plumage.

And since we are talking about kākāpōs, we'll take the opportunity to share a classic film clip from the BBC series Last Chance to See featuring Stephen Fry and zoologist Mark Carwardine, aired in 2009.

-via Fark ​

(Top image credit: New Zealand Department of Conservation)