The group reach Sirocco's specially designed Kakapo viewing area where people can get close to this big bird, separated only by a thin pane of perspex.

Sirocco's handler, Alisha, encouraged the audience to chat and even sing to him to get his attention.

She told the audience his unusual story that resulted in Sirocco being well suited to the role of conservation ambassador.

Conservation 'Bird Ambassador'

Sirocco is one of only 129 Kakapo or 'Night Parrot' in existence. His role as a conservation 'bird ambassador' is to raise awareness of the plight of the Kakapo, as the Department of Conservation works to save this species from the brink of extinction.

Kakapo were once common in New Zealand before the arrival of first Maori, and then European settlers. For the past 200-300 years, their numbers have dwindled in response to first human, and then introduced pest predator pressures.

Once rats and stoats were introduced to New Zealand by settlers in the 1800s (trying to wipe out a rabbit plague) and then cats later on, the fate of the Kakapo was sealed. Now the small remnant population of Kakapo are restricted to offshore island sanctuaries.

Sirocco Prefers People

Sirocco was hatched on Codfish Island on 23rd March 1997 by his mother Zephyr. (His father is Felix and his siblings from other hatchings are Hoki, Tiwai, Boomer, Trevor, Aurora, Maestro and Evohe). Quite a productive pairing of his parents already, and Kakapo are believed to live for 90+ years.

As a chick in the nest, Sirocco caught a respiratory infection at three weeks old and was taken and hand-reared by DOC staff for eight months. This meant he became imprinted on people, and was infamous for building his booming bowl, (a mating lek system), along the track between the hut and the outdoor toilet at the base on Codfish Island.

Sirocco likes his independence in the off-season, living on an island in the Marlborough Sounds, but adapts well to working with people when required.

Kakapo in Camoflage

Back at Zealandia for the viewing ... At first Sirocco was busy with his 'breakfast' of parrot nuts, and as he ate, a woman in the audience recounted the story of a Maori myth about how this parrot species became nocturnal.

After a few minutes Sirocco raised his head from the feed hopper and turned to fix his beautiful eyes on his audience.

He gently ambled towards the logs and plants along his side of the perspect divider and climbed up to be right beside his transfixed audience. The five children in our group got down close and were able to see him, virtually eye to eye.

As his handler talked, she fed him a few treats of grapes and his favourite macademia nuts, encouraging him to move around the enclosure so that everyone had good views of him.

Nocturnal and Flightless

Kakapo have lustrous soft green feathers, flecked with brown that make them superbly camoflaged in the lush New Zealand rainforests.

These birds are not only nocturnal, but also flightless and the heaviest parrot in the world. Sirocco weighed in at 3.12kg that evening, and is expected to get up to 3.5kg during the breeding season. He looked as large and round as a rugby ball with a long tail and beautiful wings that he used to balance as he climbed up and down branches.

One of the most stunning feature of Kakapo, is their owlish face. They have large pale green, facial discs around each eye and a small hooked parrot beak in between.

Sirocco on Facebook and Website

After half an hour with Sirocco, it was time for our group to move on and let the next 20 people have their Kakapo time.

Once visiting time is over, he spends the rest of his evening, roaming around a large enclosure on the sanctuary hillside, safe behind the predator proof fence that excludes pests such as the cats, rats and stoats that threaten so many of New Zealand's native bird species.

Sirocco is on Facebook where he has more than 8500 fans and can also be seen at the Kakapo Recovery Programme.