New Zealand’s only flightless parrot could experience a record breeding season in February after a bumper crop of rimu berries triggered rare mating activity among the critically endangered birds. Conservationists hope the surge will result in more chicks than ever before, moving the kakapo closer to recovery after a decades-long effort that has grown the population from just 50 birds to more than 200.
The kakapo’s near-extinction-to-recovery story spans decades of intensive conservation effort, including relocation to predator-free islands and careful management of breeding pairs.
One kakapo chick hatched on Tuesday from an underground nest on Whenua Hou island, part of a livestreamed breeding effort that has captured public attention. The 23-year-old mother, named Rakiura, laid three eggs, two of which are fertile; conservationists swapped the real eggs for fake ones during incubation, returning one to the nest just before the chick hatched.
A parrot of contradictions
The kakapo is the world’s only flightless parrot. It is a creature of contradictions: majestic yet ungainly, weighing over 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds) with an owllike face and mottled green, yellow and black plumage that blends with the forest floor. The birds live 60 to 80 years and have a distinctive scent. “Kakapo also have a really strong scent,” said Deidre Vercoe, operations manager for the Department of Conservation’s kakapo program. “They smell really musky and fruity — gorgeous smell.”
That same scent became a liability when humans arrived in New Zealand hundreds of years ago. The introduction of predators — rats, dogs, cats and stoats — combined with human hunting and habitat destruction, drove kakapo to near extinction. By 1974, no kakapo were known to exist. Conservationists continued searching, however, and a new population was discovered in the late 1970s.
Bringing a species back
Bringing the kakapo back has required extraordinary measures. The remaining birds have been relocated to three small, predator-free islands off New Zealand’s southern coast. Each bird has a name and is fitted with a backpack tracker. Conservationists carefully manage breeding pairs to preserve genetic diversity, a process as intricate as the birds’ own courtship ritual.
Kakapo breeding is itself an unusual process. A breeding season occurs only every two to four years, triggered by bumper crops of native rimu berries — the birds’ favorite food and essential nutrition for raising chicks. Males position themselves in dug-out bowls in the ground and emit deep booming sounds followed by noises called “chings,” which sound like rusty bedsprings. On clear nights, the booms can be heard across the forest, attracting females. Females can lay up to four eggs before raising chicks alone.
This year’s berry crop is abundant, and conservationists are expecting a record number of chicks. Two eggs from Rakiura’s nest are expected to hatch within days, and across the kakapo population, multiple birds are breeding. The confluence of a rich food source and successful reproduction could signal a turning point for a species brought back from the brink.
Why kakapo matter in New Zealand
For New Zealanders, the kakapo’s survival carries cultural weight. The country has no native land mammals except bats, and its flightless birds — the kakapo among them — have become beloved national symbols. “We don’t have the Eiffel Tower or the pyramids, but we do have kakapo and kiwi,” Vercoe said. “It’s a real New Zealand duty to save these birds.”
The painstaking effort to preserve the species might seem unusual to outsiders, but it reflects the status of birds in New Zealand’s natural heritage. With the kakapo still critically endangered, there is little prospect of conservation efforts ending anytime soon, although those working with the birds are gradually easing their hands-on management with each successful breeding season. The February harvest of chicks, if the hopes of conservationists are realized, will represent another step in the recovery of a species that the world thought it had lost.