 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 <unk> ( " parrot " ) + <unk> ( " night " ) . Its generic name is derived from the Ancient Greek <unk> , genitive <unk> " owl " , and <unk> " face " , while its specific epithet comes from <unk> " soft " , and <unk> " feather " . It has so many unusual features that it was initially placed in its own tribe , <unk> . Recent phylogenetic studies have confirmed the unique position of this genus as well as the closeness to the <unk> and the <unk> , both belonging to the New Zealand parrot genus Nestor . Together , they are now considered a separate family within the parrots , <unk> . Within the <unk> , the kakapo is placed in its own tribe , <unk> . The common ancestor of the kakapo and the genus Nestor became isolated from the remaining parrot species when New Zealand broke off from <unk> , around 82 million years ago . Around 70 million years ago , the kakapo diverged from the genus Nestor . 
