KAKAPO

I met one Kakapo at Zealandia. As I was walking, I was watching the trees. On a tree I saw a shape... a big shape... I came closer and distinguish what it is. A big perrot! The biggest one that I have ever seen before! It was a Kakapo.

Kakapo is the biggest perrots of the world. The male which is bigger than the female can reach 60 cm high and 4 kg. This bird doesn't fly because of is heigh -and also because he don't get the special bone that allows other birds to fly-. His big claws allows him to climb on the trees and to be hidden there thanks his green feathers. He is nocturnal.
Endemic of New-Zealand, they are now endangered. 131 Kakapo have been recensed.

Post from Forest and Bird Website:

DECLINE:
The first Polynesian settlers, the Maori, found the kakapo easy to catch, and hunted it for its plumage and meat. The Polynesian dog and rat, which came to New Zealand with the Maori, also preyed on the birds and their eggs.

When the first Polynesian settlers arrived in New Zealand, they found a very small landmass populated with bizarre wildlife.
Unlike all other major landmasses in the world, New Zealand had no land mammals, except for three species of bats. Instead, birds, reptiles and insects had evolved to inherit the full range of ecological opportunities available. Some birds occupied niches normally occupied by mammals.
It was a “Noah's Ark” of fascinating evolutionary experiments. Instead of mice, New Zealand had bush wrens. Instead of giraffes or kangaroos, New Zealand had the giant moa. And instead of rabbits or possums, New Zealand had the kakapo.

here is a funny video showing a kakapo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T1vfsHYiKY&feature=player_embedded