Tags:
kakapo
parrot
endangered species
flightless bird
bird
kakapo eating
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The Kakapo (Māori: kākāpō, meaning night parrot), Strigops habroptila, also called owl parrot, is a species of large, flightless nocturnal parrot endemic to New Zealand. It has finely blotched yellow-green plumage, a distinct facial disc of sensory, vibrissa-like feathers, a large grey beak, short legs, large feet, and wings and a tail of relatively short length. It is the world’s only flightless parrot, the heaviest parrot, nocturnal, herbivorous, visibly sexually dimorphic in body size, has a low basal metabolic rate and no male parental care. It is also possibly one of the world’s longest-living birds. The Kakapo is critically endangered; as of February 2010, only 131 living individuals are known, most of which have been given names. (Wiki.)
Northern Rockhopper Penguin
The cassowary (genus Casuarius) is a very large flightless bird native to the tropical forests of New Guinea, nearby islands and northeastern Australia. The Southern Cassowary is the third tallest and second heaviest living bird, smaller only than the ostrich and emu. Cassowaries have a reputation for being dangerous to people and domestic animals. Many internet entries about cassowaries state that they can disembowel a human or dog with one kick, with the long second toe claw cutting the gut open.(Wiki)