Most parrots are colourful and fly in massive flocks - New Zealand’s kakapo breaks all the rules.
Kakapo are not only the world’s largest parrots, they’re the only nocturnal species. These birds can’t fly; to reach their food in the treetops, they climb their way up using their beaks. They’ve been called the strangest parrot in the world.
How did they get to be so weird?
In search of clues, we’ll venture to one of its last refuges – the windswept bush of Codfish island. With only 154 kakapo left, a hardy team of researchers is attempting to preserve this dying lineage in a race against the clock.
From a bat slowly losing interest in flight to a purple chicken-like bird that’s defied extinction twice over, we’ll discover how some of New Zealand’s other weird animals have beaten the odds, and offer hope for this very strange bird.
