Protecting Kakapos

Protecting Kakapos

New Zealand's kakapos are some of the strangest birds in the world. They' re heavy parrots that are only active at night. And they' re endangered. Now, thanks to efforts to protect them, kakapos may be bouncing back.

Kakapos are only found in New Zealand. Roughly the size of a cat, they' re the world's heaviest parrots, and can weigh as much as four kilograms. Since they can't fly, they spend most of their time on the ground. But they can also use their wings to help them balance as they jump between tree branches.

The faces of kakapos look a little like owls. And their bodies are covered in green, yellow, and black feathers that help them blend in with the leaves and branches around them. The birds can be almost impossible to spot, but they have a strong smell.

Long ago, there were large numbers of kakapos in New Zealand. But after humans arrived, their numbers dropped rapidly. This was partly because of hunting, and partly because the forests they lived in got cut down.

Scientists worked hard to protect the remaining birds. They moved them to three remote (偏远的)islands which didn't have any dogs, cats, or rats. And they took steps to help make sure the birds had as many babies as possible, and that the chicks survived.

Now there are 236 living kakapos. That's a big improvement, but it's still not many birds. The good news is that kakapos can live for 60 to 80 years. The bad news is that they don't have babies every year.Instead, they only breed (繁殖) every two to four years.

The breeding seasons of the kakapos depend on whether the nearby forests are supplying plenty of food. The kakapos depend especially on the red berries of rimu trees, which are only found in New Zealand.

It's not clear how the birds know whether it will be a good rimu berry season or not. But they do.This year, rimu trees are producing lots and lots of berries.