🦉 Sirocco
Kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus), the flightless owl parrot · A predator-free island in Fiordland, New Zealand; he hatched on Whenua Hou / Codfish Island
Lives in Forest Hollow
Sirocco hatched on 23 March 1997 and was pulled from his mother at three weeks old with a respiratory illness. Hand-rearing saved him but left him imprinted on humans, so as an adult he courts people instead of other kākāpō. In 2009 that habit met a BBC film crew: while making Last Chance to See, zoologist Mark Carwardine was mounted on the back of the head by Sirocco while Stephen Fry laughed helplessly beside him. The clip has passed 30 million views and is one of the most-watched wildlife moments ever filmed. In 2010 New Zealand's Prime Minister formally appointed him Official Spokesbird for Conservation.
What they do
Crouches, springs upward, and lands on top of a human head with both stubby wings beating hard for balance - a three-frame crouch, leap, flap..
Thinks he is a person, and will court your head to prove it.
Lore
- ★Hatched 23 March 1997; hand-reared from three weeks old after a respiratory illness, which left him imprinted on humans rather than his own species.
- ★The 2009 Last Chance to See clip of him mating with Mark Carwardine's head has passed 30 million views.
- ★Prime Minister John Key named him New Zealand's Official Spokesbird for Conservation in 2010.
- ★His transmitter failed in 2016 and he was missing for over a year before rangers found him alive in February 2018 and fitted a new one.
Helping the real one
Kākāpō Recovery, New Zealand Department of Conservation is real. We have not verified its link yet.
We publish a donation link only once we have checked it ourselves.
Where this comes from
- New Zealand Department of Conservation Sirocco the kākāpō conservation superstar ↗
- Wikipedia Sirocco (parrot) ↗
Every link here was checked twice before it was published. If one is dead or wrong, tell us.