BIRDGACHA / FIELD NOTES
New Zealand Parrots
New Zealand parrots in this family comprise the Kakapo, Kea and Kaka, three markedly different birds. Strong curved bills are shared, but the flightless, owl-faced Kakapo contrasts with the flying Nestor parrots. Examples include Kakapo (Strigops habroptilus), Kea (Nestor notabilis), and New Zealand Kaka (Nestor meridionalis). Their diets include plant foods and, in some members, animal material. Keas are associated with mountain environments, while Kaka are forest parrots. The nocturnal Kakapo's conservation-managed life differs again, so one photograph or one general parrot diet gives an incomplete picture of this distinctive New Zealand lineage.
How to recognize New Zealand Parrots
- Bill: strong curved parrot bills.
- Outline: bodies ranging from owl-faced to long-winged.
- Feeding: taking varied plant and animal foods in New Zealand habitats.
Where they live
New Zealand provides the family's natural range, but each species uses a different part of it. Keas occupy South Island mountain landscapes, Kaka depend on wooded habitats, and surviving Kakapo live at intensively managed conservation sites. Historic distribution and present occurrence therefore differ considerably. Introduced predators and habitat change shape current populations, while restoration projects create opportunities to encounter some members in places from which they had previously disappeared.
Species accounts: Kakapo · Kea · New Zealand Kaka
Sources — natural history: Wikipedia: New Zealand Parrots natural history · Cornell Birds of the World: Kea species account · Don Roberson: New Zealand Parrots field observations and natural history.
Classification: IOC World Bird List: family names and classification.
Some Cornell Birds of the World account sections require a subscription.
Updated 2026-11-06. Species counts follow this site's catalogue. This is an editorial summary, not an expert peer review.
Species records retain their original English, Chinese and scientific names.
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