A ground dwelling parrot from New Zealand? While I wish I had come across kakapo, I’ll take a close encounter with a cheeky little bird from subantarctic Antipode Island.

Little bird is actually a bit of a misnomer, as the Antipode Island Parakeet (Cyanoramphus unicolor) is actually the largest species of its genus. My mind always defaults to parrots being associated with tropical rainforests, so imagining these guys walking amongst seals and penguins is quite fascinating to me.

Being restricted to a single island can always make a species vulnerable no matter how adaptable. Luckily, a small breeding population is found in captivity on mainland New Zealand where I was able to view this very neat bird at the Otorohanga kiwi house.