The Booming Parrot
A flightless, nocturnal parrot booms like a distant drum through the night to find a mate.
What was reported
The kākāpō is a large, flightless, nocturnal parrot found only in New Zealand, and one of the rarest birds in the world. In breeding years, males gather on ridges, dig shallow bowls in the ground and, puffing up air sacs in their chests, make a deep booming sound that can carry several kilometres, for hours every night over months.
Between booms they make a high, metallic 'ching' that may help females find them.
Explanations offered
The bowls seem to work as amplifiers. The kākāpō nearly vanished: by 1995 only about 50 were known. Intensive conservation on predator-free islands such as Whenua Hou has brought the population back to around 250.
- When
- In breeding years
- Where
- Whenua Hou (Codfish Island), New Zealand
- Witnesses
- Conservation rangers
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.