How do males attract females?

Booming calls from bowls in the ground

Why do kakapo live on offshore islands?

They are free of introduced predators

What is special about how kakapo are managed?

They are counted once a century

Why is Sirocco the kakapo famous?

He was filmed trying to mate with a man's head

Kakapo Quiz: The Flightless Parrot That Waits for Rimu Fruit

This kakapo quiz meets one of the world's strangest and rarest parrots. Play 10 interactive questions on a flightless, nocturnal bird, the heaviest parrot, a musty sweet smell, booming mating calls from bowls in the ground, breeding tied to rimu fruit years, predator-free islands, every bird named and tracked, Sirocco's fame and slow recovery.

Start Kakapo Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Country
Where does the kakapo live?
Flight
Can kakapo fly?
Time
When are kakapo active?
Record
What record does the kakapo hold among parrots?
Smell
What do kakapo smell like?
Boom
How do males attract females?
Rimu
Which tree's fruiting triggers kakapo breeding?
Islands
Why do kakapo live on offshore islands?
Names
What is special about how kakapo are managed?
Sirocco
Why is Sirocco the kakapo famous?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Where does the kakapo live?
Answer: New Zealand
It lives on predator-free islands.
Q2: Can kakapo fly?
Answer: No
They climb trees and parachute down.
Q3: When are kakapo active?
Answer: At night
Their name means night parrot.
Q4: What record does the kakapo hold among parrots?
Answer: The heaviest parrot
Males can be quite heavy.
Q5: What do kakapo smell like?
Answer: Musty and sweet
Predators can find them by smell.
Q6: How do males attract females?
Answer: Booming calls from bowls in the ground
The sound travels far.
Q7: Which tree's fruiting triggers kakapo breeding?
Answer: Rimu
Heavy crops come every few years.
Q8: Why do kakapo live on offshore islands?
Answer: They are free of introduced predators
Stoats and cats killed many.
Q9: What is special about how kakapo are managed?
Answer: Each bird is named and tracked
Rangers monitor every nest.
Q10: Why is Sirocco the kakapo famous?
Answer: He was filmed trying to mate with a man's head
It happened on a TV documentary.

The Night Parrot That Waits for Fruit

The kakapo is a flightless, nocturnal parrot found only in New Zealand, and its Maori name means night parrot. It is the heaviest parrot in the world and has a musty, sweet smell, which unfortunately helps predators find it. Instead of flying, kakapo climb trees and parachute down.

Kakapo breed only in years when rimu trees produce heavy fruit crops, every few years. Males dig bowls in the ground and make deep booming calls that travel far to attract females.

Introduced predators like stoats and cats nearly wiped kakapo out, so the surviving birds live on predator-free islands. Every bird is named and tracked by rangers. Sirocco became famous after a TV documentary filmed him trying to mate with a man's head.

What This Quiz Teaches

Bird fans will enjoy these questions.

Where kakapo live
Why they cannot fly
How they breed
Why they live on islands
How they are protected

Did You Know?

Kakapo can live for decades.
Their feathers are moss green.
Chicks are sometimes hand-reared.
Genetic testing guides breeding.
Visitors rarely see them in the wild.