The kakapo was originally described by English ornithologist George Robert Gray in 1845 . The name " kakapo " is the English transliteration of " kākāpō " which is derived from the Māori terms kākā ( " parrot " ) + pō ( " night " ) . Its generic name is derived from the Ancient Greek strix , genitive strigos " owl " , and ops " face " , while its specific epithet come from habros " soft " , and ptilon " feather " . It have so many unusual features that it was initially placed in its own tribe , Strigopini . Recent phylogenetic studies have confirmed the unique position of this genus as well as the closeness to the kākā and the kea , both belonging to the New Zealand parrot genus Nestor . Together , they are now considered a separate family within the parrots , Strigopidae . Within the Strigopidae , the kakapo is placed in its own tribe , Strigopini . The common ancestor of the kakapo and the genus Nestor became isolated from the remaining parrot species when New Zealand broke off from Gondwana , around 82 million years ago . Around 70 million years ago , the kakapo diverged from the genus Nestor .