Just 147
adult kākāpō are alive today in their native New Zealand, but scientists hope
their fortunes are turning around
Eleanor
Ainge Roy in Dunedin
Wed 17
Apr 2019 03.56 BSTLast modified on Thu 18 Apr 2019 01.05 BST
The
world’s fattest species of parrot has had a record-breaking breeding season
in New
Zealand, with scientists saying the fortunes of the
critically-endangered bird are finally turning around.
There are
only 147 adult kākāpō alive today, although a few hundred years ago they were
one of New Zealand’s most common birds, before being hunted to the brink of
extinction, killed by introduced pests, and losing their forest homes to
farming.
The nocturnal,
flightless parrot is one of New Zealanders' favourite birds, and is known for
its charismatic nature and owl-like face.
Because
the population is so small every kākāpō has a name – including Ruth, Hoki,
Suzanne and Zephyr – and is subject to one of the most intensive management
programmes of any species in the world. Infertility and in-breeding have been
long-term issues for the birds’ reproductive efforts.
But this
year 76 kākāpō chicks have hatched and 60 are expected to make it to adulthood,
the result of heavy seeding in the New Zealand bush that has produced an
abundance of the bird’s favourite food: fruit from the Rimu tree, a southern
species of conifer.
Forty-nine
out of 50 breeding females laid eggs this year. The last
record-breaking breeding season was in 2016, when 37 chicks fledged.
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