The Kakapo: The World's Only Flightless Parrot
The kakapo (Strigops habroptilus) is a critically endangered, nocturnal parrot from New Zealand that has lost its ability to fly, making it the world's heaviest parrot at up to 9 pounds. These moss-green birds have an extraordinary booming mating call that can travel up to 3 miles through the forest, and males create bowl-shaped arenas on hilltops where they call for up to 8 hours each night during breeding season. Perhaps most remarkably, kakapos can live over 90 years, making them one of the longest-lived bird species on Earth. With only around 250 individuals remaining, each kakapo has been given a name and is monitored by conservationists using radio transmitters.