Flightless birds born in NZ: 31-03-2008
New Zealand is celebrating after the birth of five new chicks from a species of flightless parrot that is close to extinction.
The births of the kakapos chicks in southern New Zealand have increased the bird's population to 91 but the news was described as "awesome".
According to Emma Neill, a senior official of a department of conservation programme to save the parrot, the birds only breed every few years so an increase in numbers is brilliant news.
The kakapo is similar to an owl with yellow-green feathers and a large beak.
According to the Associated Press, the bird lost its ability to fly because it evolved with a lack of ground predators to threaten it but when cats and rats were introduced by colonization the kakapo were all but wiped out.
Unfortunately visitors are unlikely to see the rare birds as they are kept on a small, predator-free island, but they may see one of New Zealand's most famous animals, the also-flightless kiwi.
Kiwi Houses can be found in zoos and wildlife parks and are often the best places to see the endangered species, according to the New Zealand tourist board.
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