- According to New Zealand scientists,kakapo,a bird has enjoyed a record breaking breeding season possibly 249 eggs laid as part of a breeding programme.
- This high amount of breeding is because of the Rimu trees that have produced a bumper crop this year possibly due to climate change and temperature fluctuations.
- Kakapo means ‘night parrot’ in Maori.It is also called owl parrot.It is nocturnal bird,the world’s fattest parrot and the world’s only flightless parrot.
- The parrot has been listed as Critically Endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s(IUCN) Red List.
- They are endemic to New Zealand.The surviving kakapo are kept on four predator-free islands off the New Zealand coast.They mate only every 2-4 years when New Zealand’s native Rimu trees are full of fruit.
- kakapo is an unusual parrot as the females control the breeding process. At the start of the breeding season,the males put themselves on display while the females choose a partner.They mate and then end the relationship, shutting the male out of the incubation and rearing processes.
