Kakapo parrot voted world’s favourite animal

This video, recorded in New Zealand, is called The Unnatural History of the Kakapo.

What’s the World’s Favourite Species?

It’s ARKive’s 10th birthday and to mark the occasion, you’ve been joining us in your thousands from 162 different countries to help us find the world’s top ten favourite species. The results are in! The species that were most frequently voted as favourites by you can now be revealed…

The array of life with which we share our planet provides an endless source of wonder, so for many of you the decision was tough. But which species was voted the World’s Favourite? Here are a few clues:

The most frequently selected reason for voting this species as your favourite was “because it’s under threat and we need to protect it”.
It is active at night…
It has feathers… but it can’t fly!

Also from ARKIve:

No.1 Kakapo

The magnificent kakapo stole 9% of the total votes. It’s a beautiful bird that cannot fly and is only found in New Zealand. But from the many thousands of creatures with which we share our precious planet, what made the kakapo stand out from the crowd? For most of you, tragically, it was the kakapo’s Critically Endangered status. We hope the title of World’s Favourite Species will bring it the attention it deserves.

Kakapo facts

The kakapo is the world’s only flightless parrot.
Unusual for a bird, the kakapo is only active at night.
As well as being the world’s largest parrot, the kakapo is also the heaviest.

The rest of the Top 10:

2. Tiger
3. African elephant
4. Grey wolf
5. Polar bear
6. Red panda
7. Cheetah
8. Snow leopard
9. Bornean orangutan
10. Amur leopard

What is a Kakapo? (deakinscicomm.wordpress.com)
Endangered Species of the Week: Kakapo (greenfudge.org)
Kakapo (hopeisthethingwithfeathers123.wordpress.com)
What are the world’s top 10 favorite animal species? (treehugger.com)
Barnacles aren’t acorns (animalbytescambridge.wordpress.com)
Deadly Snakes, Ugly Critters, Leonardo DiCaprio and Other Links from the Brink (blogs.scientificamerican.com)
10 Fascinating Animals You Probably Haven’t Heard Of (listverse.com)
The Night Parrot (acejet170.typepad.com)
Save New Zealand seabirds (dearkitty1.wordpress.com)
Hilarious Rare Bird Tries To Mate With Photographer In Wild (jayclappphotography.wordpress.com)

17 thoughts on “Kakapo parrot voted world’s favourite animal”

I have seen Kakapos on TV and I understand why they came out top. Having developed in a place without predators, they are friendly and peaceful (and as a result, defenseless if not for the people who are no trying to protect them). Very likable birds.

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petrel41 on May 21, 2013 at 7:46 pm said:

Kakapos are the only birds in the Top 10. The other 9 are mammals. All carnivorous, except the elephant and the orangutan. No fish, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates. This can be partally explained by the limited number of species nominated on the ARKive site.

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- nannus on May 21, 2013 at 7:49 pm said:
  
  The list shows more about human psychology than about animals. I also like spiders and insects and the like, but I know this liking is not shared by most people (see my spring poems and the comments to them) 🙂
  
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  - petrel41 on May 21, 2013 at 8:25 pm said:
    
    I agree. Human psychology in general is not the only factor influencing the outcome.
    
    On the ARKive site, you could vote only for 50 species.
    
    Only one plant, the sequoia tree. Not a single plant with conspicuous flowers, which many people like. Not a single fungus.
    
    One amphibian. Two fish. One reptile. One butterfly as the only invertebrate. While many people like dragonflies, damselflies, coral, etc.
    
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    - nannus on May 21, 2013 at 8:29 pm said:
      
      The question is, what was this meant for. If they where looking for the best symbol species for a campaign or the logo of some organization, the Kakapo might be a good choice since what counts for such purposes is that people like it. Otherwise, questionable…
      
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      - petrel41 on May 21, 2013 at 9:40 pm said:
        
        I do think the kakapo is a good choice.
        
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