Sirocco (parrot) facts for kids
Sirocco in 2010
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| Species | Kākāpō |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Hatched | 23 March 1997 Codfish Island / Whenua Hou, New Zealand |
| Nation from | New Zealand |
| Occupation | Official Spokesbird for Conservation |
| Known for | Attempting to mate with Mark Carwardine on BBC series Last Chance to See Ambassador for his species and for conservation |
| Parent(s) | Zephyr (mother) Felix (father) |
| biography on DoC website | |
Sirocco (born March 23, 1997) is a famous kākāpō. Kākāpō are large, flightless parrots that are active at night. Sirocco is one of the few kākāpō left in the world. There are only 247 as of 2023.
He became very well known after an event on the BBC TV show Last Chance to See. During the show, he tried to interact closely with zoologist Mark Carwardine. Videos of this moment became popular online and on TV around the world.
In his home country of New Zealand, Sirocco has met thousands of people. In 2010, the Prime Minister, John Key, even named him the Official Spokesbird for Conservation. Sirocco now helps spread the word about protecting nature through social media and blogs.
Sirocco's Story
Sirocco was born on March 23, 1997. He hatched on Codfish Island, which is a special bird sanctuary. This island is off the coast of Stewart Island in New Zealand.
When he was only three weeks old, Sirocco got sick. Because of this, park rangers from the Department of Conservation had to take care of him. They raised him by hand, away from his mother.
This meant Sirocco grew up thinking humans were his family. This is called imprinting. Even as an adult, he prefers to be around people, not other kākāpō.
Kākāpō males make a loud "booming" sound to attract females. Sirocco booms when humans are nearby, not female kākāpō. Because of this, he probably won't have babies. However, his friendly nature with people makes him a great helper for kākāpō conservation.
Codfish Island is a protected place and is closed to visitors. So, Sirocco often travels to other places. Since 2006, he has often visited Ulva Island for special "kākāpō encounters."
In 2009, he went to Auckland Zoo, where many people came to see him. Sirocco also visited Zealandia in 2011 and Maungatautari Ecological Island in 2012. He returned to Zealandia for six weeks in 2015.
Sirocco wears a radio transmitter so rangers can find him. This transmitter stopped working in late 2016 or early 2017. For many months, scientists searched for him using trained dogs.
On his 20th "hatchday" in 2017, they announced that Sirocco was missing. But good news came on February 8, 2018! The Department of Conservation announced that Sirocco had been found. He was given a new transmitter.
Sirocco in the Media
Sirocco's life story inspired a short film. Indian filmmaker Ashwika Kapur made a documentary called Sirocco – How a Dud Became a Stud. This film won an award in 2014.
Sirocco also became the inspiration for the "party parrot" emoji. This animated emoji is very popular, especially in the work chat app Slack.
Official Spokesbird
Sirocco's fame grew even more after the TV show incident. People around the world learned about kākāpō because of him. This led to a special job for the bird in 2010.
New Zealand's Prime Minister, John Key, named Sirocco the Official Spokesbird for Conservation. This happened in 2010, which was the International Year of Biodiversity. This year was chosen to highlight the importance of protecting different kinds of life on Earth.
Prime Minister Key said that Sirocco is "media savvy" and has fans all over the world. He believed Sirocco would be a great ambassador for New Zealand and for conservation.
Even though it was a bit of a joke, this job showed how important Sirocco is. Through his TV appearances and social media, he helps people worldwide learn about kākāpō. He reminds everyone that these amazing birds are still endangered and need our help.
See also
- List of individual birds
