Extinct Animals : Kakapo

This large ground parrot, named kakapo by the Maoris and owl parrot by European colonists, was once widespread in New Zealand’s beech forests and nearby grasslands. Practically flightless, it was easy prey for the Stone Age Polynesians of 1,000 years ago. With European settlement in the 1800s much of the bird’s habitat was destroyed. Introduced predators such at the stoat further reduced kakapo populations, and, finally, deer damaged the bird’s remaining habitat.

A critically endangered species, only 52 to 54 kakapos survive today. Some of these birds live on New Zealand’s Stewart Island, but most of them are found on Codfish and Little Barrier Island.