The
genus Nestor is one of two
genera of the
parrot family
Nestoridae. Together with the
kakapo in the family
Strigopidae, they form the parrot superfamily
Strigopoidea. The genus
Nestor contains two
extant parrot species from
New Zealand and two
extinct species from
Norfolk Island, Australia and
Chatham Island, New Zealand, respectively. All species are large stocky birds with short squarish tails. A defining characteristic of the genus is the tongue, which is tipped with a hair-like fringe. The superficial resemblance of this tongue to that of
lorikeets has led some taxonomists to consider the two groups closely related, but DNA evidence shows they are not.