Sirocco (parrot)

Sirocco
Sirocco in 2010
SpeciesKākāpō
SexMale
Hatched (1997-03-23) 23 March 1997 (age 27)[1]
Codfish Island / Whenua Hou, New Zealand
Nation fromNew Zealand
OccupationOfficial Spokesbird for Conservation
Known forAttempting to mate with Mark Carwardine on BBC series Last Chance to See
Ambassador for his species and for conservation
Parent(s)Zephyr (mother)[1]
Felix (father)
biography on DoC website

Sirocco (hatched 23 March 1997)[1] is a kākāpō, a large, flightless, nocturnal parrot, and one of the remaining living individuals numbering only 244 (as of 2024).[2] He achieved individual fame following an incident on the BBC television series Last Chance to See in which he attempted to mate with zoologist Mark Carwardine. Subsequent featuring of the incident on television channels around the world and on YouTube resulted in Sirocco becoming internationally known. In his home country of New Zealand, Sirocco has attracted thousands of people during "personal" appearances, and in January 2010 was given the title of Official Spokesbird for Conservation by Prime Minister John Key. In this role, Sirocco helps advocate for conservation through human intermediaries on social media sites and blogs.

  1. ^ a b c "Sirocco the kākāpō conservation superstar". doc.govt.nz. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Kākāpō Recovery". Department of Conservation. New Zealand. Retrieved 26 September 2024