Since he was just a tiny hatchling Sirocco was a classic stereotype of his endangered species. A vulnerable and weak baby born in a human controlled environment, he was meant to represent the struggle of the kakapo. His story embodies the fight for the survival of these magnificent parrot species and his love and acceptance of the human company allow him to be a fantastic spokesperson for the cause of kakapo population recovery. But before we meet the star of this article, we should first get to know the kakapo parrots in general.
What is a kakapo?
The kakapo is a big, flightless parrot that is endemic to New Zealand. It is a nocturnal animal and kakapo actually means night parrot in the Maori language. They are large species that weight around 2 kg (4.4lb) on average which makes them the heaviest living species of parrots. It is predominantly green with a tint of yellow coloring. Kakapos have a great sense of smell that they use in their search for the right food, a behavior only exhibited by one other parrot species.