PECULIAR PARROTS A gentle breeze was blowing as conservation biologist Andrew Digby headed up a forested hillside He was on Whenua Hou also known as Codfish Island in New Zealand Various plants and moss created a green carpet on the forest floor Andrew scanned the area for a bird that’s so rare and strange few people know about it It was a lucky day Andrew found the bird he was looking for an adult kakapo kah-kah-POH A kakapo 4
Kakapos are probably the weirdest birds in the world They’re large flightless nocturnal parrots says Andrew But before he spotted the bird he smelled it The scent was strong but not unpleasant he says It’s sweet earthy and musty Suddenly he heard something Conservation biologist Andrew Digby with a kakapo LOOK CLOSER Kakapos are the only kind of parrots that cannot fly They’re found on just four small islands off the coast of New Zealand 5
MEET A KAKAPO On the ground Andrew saw a plump yellowish-green bird slowly walking Kakapos do everything slowly including walking Andrew says The kakapo’s mottled feathers blended in perfectly with its habitat Their camouflage is incredible The first time Andrew saw a kakapo the bird’s size surprised him They’re big he says much bigger than I expected In fact kakapos are the largest parrots in the world weighing up to 9 pounds 4 kilograms as much as a gallon of milk 6 A kakapo blends in with its forest home
With the help of his teammate Andrew carefully grabbed the slow-moving kakapo The bird’s name was Moss and Andrew had captured the young male before We try and minimize handling as much as possible says Andrew However once a year he and his team safely catch all the birds on the island to check their health and make sure their transmitters are working Andrew holds a kakapo and checks its transmitter LOOK CLOSER Each kakapo is fitted with a transmitter that looks like a tiny backpack This device allows Andrew and his team to track the birds and monitor their activity 7
