Kākāpō
/ˈkaːkaːpɔː/noun
A large, flightless, nocturnal parrot native to New Zealand.
Did you know?The Māori name combines kākā, meaning “parrot,” with pō, meaning “night,” directly describing the bird’s nocturnal life.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Polynesian
Proto-Polynesian
*kaka
“Parrot or parrot-like bird”
Proto-Polynesian
Proto-Polynesian
*po
“Night or darkness”
Pre-European New Zealand
Māori
kākā
“A native parrot”
Pre-European New Zealand
Māori
pō
“Night”
Traditional Māori
Māori
kākāpō
“Night parrot”
19th Century
English
kakapo
“A Māori loanword for New Zealand’s nocturnal flightless parrot”
Modern English
English
kākāpō
“The endangered nocturnal parrot of New Zealand”