大象传媒

The kakapo has a unique call. Near the research station on Codfish island, a hand reared male named Sirroco begins his nightly mating call, or boom. Using infra-red, night-vision cameras so as not to disturb the birds, Stephen Fry and Mark Carwardine watch Sirocco call for a mate, something he will probably do every night for 6 months of the year. Mark and Stephen wonder if the low frequency of the boom is a deliberate attempt by the kakapo to take an available frequency range well outside all the other forest noises. The parrot's wings open each time he makes a boom noise. Scientists don't yet fully understand how the process of attracting mates in this way works - many birds seem distincly less successful than others.