7 Secrets Of The Kakapo Diet: The Rare Foods That Fuel The World's Heaviest Parrot

The Kakapo, a nocturnal, flightless, and critically endangered parrot from New Zealand, possesses one of the most unique and specialized diets in the avian world. This gentle giant, known scientifically as Strigops habroptilus, is a true herbivore, relying exclusively on the diverse flora of its protected island habitats. As of December 15, 2025, the ongoing conservation efforts and new scientific studies continue to refine our understanding of its complex nutritional needs, revealing key food sources that are essential for its survival and successful breeding.

The feeding habits of the Kakapo are directly linked to its remarkable life cycle, particularly its infrequent and synchronous breeding. Its diet is not just a list of plants; it is a carefully balanced, seasonal menu of leaves, shoots, fruits, seeds, and even tree sap. The latest research highlights the crucial role of specific native New Zealand plants, which provide the high-energy boost needed to sustain the world’s heaviest parrot and its precious nestlings.

The Herbivore's Menu: A Detailed Kakapo Food List

The Kakapo is a fascinating blend of feeding types: a folivore (leaf-eater), a frugivore (fruit-eater), and a granivore (seed-eater). Its diet is highly diverse, with a powerful gizzard designed to grind tough plant matter and extract maximum nutrients.

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1. The Rimu Berry Obsession: The Breeding Catalyst

The single most important food source for the Kakapo, especially during the breeding season, is the fruit of the Rimu tree (Dacrydium cupressinum).

• High-Value Food: Rimu berries are the preferred food for both the adult parrots and their chicks, providing a high-value source of energy and nutrients necessary for reproduction.
• Synchronous Breeding: Kakapo only breed in years when the Rimu and other podocarps fruit heavily, an event known as "masting," which typically occurs only every two to four years.
• Chick Development: Female Kakapo with nestlings predominantly forage for Rimu fruit, demonstrating its critical role in chick growth and survival.

2. Leaves, Shoots, and Stems: The Daily Bulk

A significant portion of the Kakapo’s daily intake consists of vegetative matter. They are known to strip leaves, shoots, and stems, leaving behind distinct 'browse signs' in the bush.

• Supplejack Vines: Juicy supplejack vines are a known favorite, providing essential hydration and fiber.
• Specific Plant Parts: They often eat the fruit from the tips of high rimu branches, but also consume the leaves and shoots of many other native plants.
• Unique Feeding Technique: The Kakapo uses its beak to grind and process the food, often leaving behind a fibrous pellet of undigested material, which scientists analyze to determine their diet.

3. Hidden Delicacies: Pollen, Sap, and Sapwood

The Kakapo's diet extends beyond simple leaves and fruit, incorporating nutrient-rich components that are difficult for other animals to access.

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• Pollen and Nectar: They consume pollen, which is a rich source of protein, and likely nectar from various flowers, contributing to their diverse nutritional profile.
• Sapwood and Sap: Kakapo are known to eat the sapwood of trees, and even the sap itself, which provides sugars and minerals, especially when other foods are scarce.

4. Newly Discovered Natural Foods

Recent studies using advanced techniques to analyze Kakapo droppings (scats) have revealed surprising new additions to their natural diet, adding to their topical authority as a highly specialized feeder.

• Southern Beech: Additional evidence shows that Kakapo were frequently eating southern beech.
• Beech Mistletoes: The consumption of beech mistletoes was also a new and unexpected finding from the latest research.

The Lifeline: Kakapo Supplementary Feeding Program

Given the critically low population and the infrequent nature of the Rimu masting events, the Kakapo Recovery Programme relies heavily on supplementary feeding to ensure the birds remain healthy and to encourage more frequent breeding.

The Role of Supplementary Food

Supplementary feeding is a crucial conservation tool, particularly during the spring and summer months, to ensure the Kakapo are healthy enough to breed and successfully raise their chicks.

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• Breeding Induction: Providing extra food helps increase the number of breeding events, effectively overcoming the limitations of the natural, mast-dependent cycle.
• Year-Round Support: Some birds receive year-round food support, especially those on Whenua Hou (Codfish Island) and other protected islands.

What is in the Custom Kakapo Diet?

The supplementary diet is carefully formulated to mimic the high-nutrient profile of their natural, preferred foods, especially the Rimu fruit.

• Harrison's HPC Pellets: Specially formulated food, such as Harrison's HPC pellets, is a common component, designed to deliver balanced nutrition.
• High-Fat and Protein Sources: To replicate the energy boost of Rimu, the diet includes high-fat and protein items. These have included raw, organically-grown walnuts and almonds.
• Other Supplemental Items: Historically, other preferred foods have been used to train the birds to feed at stations, including apple and sweet potato.
• Spirulina-Based Pellets: Nesting females may receive spirulina-based pellets, although some studies indicate that females feeding nestlings on Rimu fruit do not consume supplementary food.

Nocturnal Foraging: How the Kakapo Finds Its Food

The Kakapo’s unique physical characteristics and behavior are perfectly adapted to its nocturnal, ground-dwelling feeding strategy.

Sensing in the Dark

As a nocturnal bird, the Kakapo uses specialized sensory tools to find food in the darkness of the New Zealand forest.

• Facial Whiskers: The bird uses the whiskers around its face to feel and navigate in the dark, helping it locate specific plants and food items on the ground.
• Powerful Feet: Despite being flightless, the Kakapo is an excellent climber, using its large, powerful feet to ascend trees to reach fruits like the Rimu berries.

The Digestive Powerhouse

The Kakapo's powerful gizzard is key to its ability to survive on a fibrous, herbivorous diet. This muscular organ grinds down tough plant materials, ensuring the bird extracts maximum nutrients from every bite of leaves, shoots, and seeds.

The Kakapo’s diet is a testament to its evolutionary path, closely tied to the unique ecology of its New Zealand island home. From the seasonal abundance of Rimu fruit that triggers breeding to the carefully managed supplementary pellets that ensure its survival, every meal is a critical part of the ongoing effort to save this magnificent and rare parrot.