kakapo

noun

ka·​ka·​po ˌkä-kə-ˈpō How to pronounce kakapo (audio)
plural kakapos
: a large chiefly nocturnal burrowing New Zealand parrot (Strigops habroptila) that has green and brown barred plumage and well-developed wings with little power of flight

Examples of kakapo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Perhaps the only thing stranger than the kakapo is the lengths to which New Zealanders have gone to save it. Charlotte Graham-McLay, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026 The introduction of rats, dogs, cats and stoats, as well as hunting by people and destruction of native forest habitats, drove species of the country’s flourishing flightless birds — the kakapo among them — to near or complete extinction. ABC News, 23 Feb. 2026 For decades, the kakapo has been climbing its way back from the brink of extinction. New York Times, 25 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Maori

First Known Use

1843, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of kakapo was in 1843

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Cite this Entry

“Kakapo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kakapo. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.

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