Hand-colored Lithograph of a Kākāpō

Considered critically endangered today, the Kākāpō is a nocturnal flightless parrot endemic to New Zealand. Captured in a hand-colored lithograph, this particular Kākāpō belongs to the 1873 book A History of the Birds of New Zealand by Walter Lawry Buller. Buller wrote from a desire to record a complete life history of his homeland’s interesting and diverse birdlife, at a time when it was already apparent that some species there would be lost forever.

Today habitat loss and predation by introduced animals like cats and dogs pose the greatest threat to the Kākāpō. Buller’s book is one of many rare volumes usually preserved in the rare book room behind the scenes at Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s Library. It is currently on display in the public reading room.