Kakapo are unable to fly, having short [[wing]]s for their size and lacking the pronounced keel bone (sternum) that anchors the flight muscles of other birds.
Kakapo can also discriminate between odours while foraging, this behaviour has only been reported for one other parrot species.andlt;!--Hagelin, 2004--andgt; One of the most striking characteristics of Kakapo is their pleasant and powerful odor.
Kakapo are primarily nocturnal, roosting under cover in trees or on the ground during the day and roving their territories at night.
Kakapo have a facial disc of fine feathers, resembling the face of an owl; thus early European settlers called it the owlparrot.
Kakapo have a distinctive habit of grabbing a leaf or frond with a foot and stripping the nutritious parts of the plant out with their beaks, leaving a ball of indigestible fiber, similar to the way humans eat only the tender parts of artichokes.
Kakapo are naturally curious, and though they live solitary lives in remote places, they have been known to enjoy the occasional company of humans.
Until the arrival of the first humans, 80% of the land was forested and, barring two species of bat, there were no non-marine mammals at all.
Instead, New Zealand's forests were inhabited by a diverse range of birds including the flightless Moa which is now extinct, the Kiwi, Kakapo, and Takahē which are all endangered due to human actions.
Unique birds capable of flight include the Haast's eagle which was the world's largest bird of prey before it became extinct and the large parrots the Kaka and Kea.
