For a bird that was made internet-famous by “shagging” a BBC reporter, there’s something poetic about the news that 2016 has been a record breeding year.
Poetic and, for the critically endangered Kakapo, incredible. The flightless bird, which is known as the “owl parrot” and is the heaviest parrot in the word, had a population of just 123 individuals as of 2014. Now, thanks to a major boost in chick numbers—33 babies have survived their first few months of life, compared to just six in 2014—that population number looks set to rise.
“The future of New Zealand’s own giant flightless parrot is looking much brighter,” Conservation Minister Maggie Barry said in April, after the last chick hatched. In total, 46 chicks hatched this year, but as is the case with most birds, not all babies typically survive their first few weeks or months—three of the chicks perished after a flash flood swept through one of the islands, for instance.
The chicks are part of the Kakapo Recovery Program, an effort to boost Kakapo numbers to a healthy level. The program monitors and works with Kakapo on three islands off of New Zealand: Codfish, Anchor, and Little Barrier Island—the only places in the world where Kakapo are known to exist.
The bird, which was once found throughout New Zealand, has been nearly wiped out by habitat loss and by invasive rats, stoats, and cats that were introduced to New Zealand mainly by European settlers. These introduced species were a huge threat to the flightless Kakapo, which had evolved in a land without any mammalian predators. This also led to them being extremely long-lived, with the oldest Kakapos able to hit 120 years.
Since 1995, however, workers with the Kakapo Recovery Program have been carefully monitoring population levels, providing the birds with supplemental feed, ensuring the islands where the Kakapo remain are free of invasive predators, and at times hand-raising chicks that are underweight or sick.
So why was this breeding season so much more successful than the others? Three reasons. First, Kakapo only breed when New Zealand’s rimu trees yield lots of fruit—their berries are high in Vitamin D and calcium, key nutrients for nesting birds and chicks. This year was especially fruitful. They also bred on all three islands at the same time—a first for the birds—and several Kakapo bred for the first time, which helped increase the total number of eggs. Because the birds are vulnerable during their first few months of life, the Kakapo Recovery Program will wait until October—six months after the last chick hatched—to officially add the surviving chicks to the total population number.
The good news for the Kakapo doesn’t stop there. The birds are getting a little extra support this year, thanks to a few Kakapo-loving Imgur users. In July, Imgur user prinnnneh called on fellow users to populate the website’s front page with Kakapo GIFs, which the community was quick to do. The onslaught of GIFs—and links to the Kakapo Recovery Program’s donation page—led to more than 3,000 New Zealand Dollars in donations for the organization in 48 hours.
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What makes kÄkÄpÅ so unique?
KÄkÄpÅ are unusual creatures for many reasons. With a maximum weight of four kilograms, they are the heaviest species of parrot still in existence.
Furthermore, none other parrot species in existence can fly except for them. Rather, they possess robust legs that enable them to cover several kilometers each day. They can leap off tall trees and climb very well, using their wings to help them stay balanced.
Since they were an island species, they had few daytime-hunting avian predators at first. In order to blend in with their surroundings, kìkÄpÅ developed forest-colored plumage. When threatened, they freeze, making it harder for predators to see them from above.
Because they are nocturnal, kŬkìpé, which means “night parrot” in MĄori, is how they got their name.
According to Andrew Digby, a conservation biologist at the Department of Conservation in New Zealand, kĄkìpÅ are more like mammals, perhaps even badgers, than they are like birds.
It’s extremely unique that our team has been working with the same specific birds for more than 40 years.
When you work with Kάkìpé on a regular basis, you get to see their distinct personalities. We are aware of which ones are noisy and likely to yell at you frequently, and which ones we need to pursue. Some are really friendly and will approach you.
Find out all the quirky qualities of the kakapo
Adult kÄkÄpÅ are generally solitary creatures and only meet to mate every two to four years with the mass-fruiting of rimu tree fruit. These berries are rich in vitamin D and calcium, which are essential for laying eggs and growing chicks. When in season, kÄkÄpÅ will feed exclusively on them.
One of the longest-living birds is the kìkÄpÅ, which can live up to 90 years in the wild. They used to flourish in all of New Zealand’s many different environments and climates, from the subalpine Fiordland in the south to the dry, hot summers in the north.
Effective conservation by the KÄkÄpÅ Recovery programme
By 1995, only 51 birds were known to exist. It was time for drastic action so the Department of Conservation implemented the KÄkÄpÅ Recovery programme to restore the population. Scientists, rangers, volunteers and donors worked hard together to protect the critically endangered species.
The few kìkìpé that remained were gathered and put on five offshore islands free of predators and protected from invasive species. Every visitor to the islands must go through a rigorous quarantine procedure, and their food, clothing, and equipment must all be thoroughly inspected.
One of the primary kìkìpé breeding islands is Anchor Island in Dusky Sound. © Andrew Digby
Every kÄkÄpé has a unique name and is equipped with a smart transmitter, allowing scientists to track them and gather information about their behavior.
In order to ensure that they are healthy enough to breed and raise chicks in the autumn, the birds are fed extra during the spring and summer breeding seasons. During the breeding season, experts closely monitor nests around-the-clock.
According to Andrew, we camp close to the breeding site—which is frequently at the summit of the islands—during the whole season.
When a female departs her nest, we can go and see if any eggs are there because we will receive a signal. Its quite nerve-wracking as we dont know what well find. While an abundance of eggs can be exciting, it can also be quite depressing if they are not fertile.
Normally, after the eggs are laid, they are taken out and placed in an artificial incubator. The chicks are then returned to nests when they hatch. The females receive help with the chicks if needed. For instance, some chicks may be removed and placed in other nests where they can receive better care if their mother is having trouble keeping up with the number of them. Each breeding season, a number of chicks that would not survive if left in nests are manually raised by team members of KìkÄpé.
When an egg is taken out of the nest, it is replaced with a lifelike smart egg that simulates a chick’s sounds and temperature. This helps the mother be ready for the day the chick returns, one day after hatching.
Some chicks are hand-reared if the breeding season begins early in order to encourage the mother to nest again © Andrew Digby Â
69 chicks have been successfully hand-reared and released back into their natural environment thus far. Without this intervention, they would have most likely died.
Young birds are checked between one and five days as they develop in the nest. Once they have fledged, they are checked every two to six weeks for five months, and then every three months until they are two years old. All birds receive annual hands-on health checks which include checking for injury, illnesses or parasites and taking blood samples. The rest of the time, they are left to live as naturally as possible.
Scientists can track the birds throughout their lives and continue to learn about them thanks to the data gathered from this intensive conservation care, which is entered into a national database.
Poetic and, for the critically endangered Kakapo, incredible. The flightless bird, which is known as the “owl parrot” and is the heaviest parrot in the word, had a population of just 123 individuals as of 2014. Now, thanks to a major boost in chick numbers—33 babies have survived their first few months of life, compared to just six in 2014—that population number looks set to rise.
The purpose of the chicks is to increase the Kakapo population to a healthy level as part of the Kakapo Recovery Program. The three islands off the coast of New Zealand that the program works with and monitors are Codfish, Anchor, and Little Barrier Island. These are the only known locations in the world where kakapo are found.
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So why was this breeding season so much more successful than the others? Three reasons. First, Kakapo only breed when New Zealand’s rimu trees yield lots of fruit—their berries are high in Vitamin D and calcium, key nutrients for nesting birds and chicks. This year was especially fruitful. They also bred on all three islands at the same time—a first for the birds—and several Kakapo bred for the first time, which helped increase the total number of eggs. Because the birds are vulnerable during their first few months of life, the Kakapo Recovery Program will wait until October—six months after the last chick hatched—to officially add the surviving chicks to the total population number.
For a bird that was made internet-famous by “shagging” a BBC reporter, there’s something poetic about the news that 2016 has been a record breeding year.
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