{"id":3549,"date":"2026-04-10T09:31:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T09:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/?p=3549"},"modified":"2026-04-15T03:54:01","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T03:54:01","slug":"record-kakapo-breeding-season-with-95-rare-parrot-hatchlings-photo-of-the-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/?p=3549","title":{"rendered":"Record k\u0101k\u0101p\u014d breeding season with 95 rare parrot hatchlings: Photo of the week"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The k\u0101k\u0101p\u014d\u00a0is a flightless bird endemic to Aotearoa New Zealand, and one of the heaviest parrots in the world. It\u2019s also critically endangered , after the introduction of predators to the islands off New Zealand, the adult k\u0101k\u0101p\u014d population plummeted to just 235 today. <\/span><\/p>\n

But this year, following a standout harvest of r\u012bmu<\/em> (Dacrydium cupressinum<\/em>) berries, a staple of the k\u0101k\u0101p\u014d\u00a0diet, at least 95 chicks are now growing. The previous record, in 2019, produced 73 fledglings.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c2026 is now officially the biggest on record,\u201d New Zealand\u2019s Department of Conservation wrote on its k\u0101k\u0101p\u014d\u00a0recovery Instagram account. <\/span><\/p>\n

In the photo above, k\u0101k\u0101p\u014d (Strigops habroptilus<\/em>) siblings T\u012bwhiri-A3 and T\u012bwhiri-A4, both named after their mother, are pictured on Pukenui Anchor Island in southern New Zealand, a predator-free island chosen as a k\u0101k\u0101p\u014d\u00a0sanctuary. The photo was taken by Sarah Manktelow, a k\u0101k\u0101p\u014d recovery program ranger at the Department of Conservation. <\/span><\/p>\n

The chicks will be officially added to the species\u2019 population count once they reach 150 days old, after which they\u2019re considered fledglings. Not all the chicks are expected to make it to this stage. <\/span><\/p>\n

Ten chicks have died so far, and three more are currently receiving veterinary care.<\/span><\/p>\n

Every Friday, the Department of Conservation released data on the progress of the eggs, with an uploaded photo of the tally written in marker on the department\u2019s refrigerator<\/a>. This year, 80 nests produced at least 256 eggs. Of these, 148 were fertile, and 105 hatched. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cInfertility and low hatching success is a key obstacle for the program, and not every chick will survive through to fledging,\u201d Deidre Vercoe, the Department of Conservation\u2019s operations manager for k\u0101k\u0101p\u014d, told<\/a> Mongabay by email. \u201c[B]ut each successful hatching is a reminder of how far we have come.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The k\u0101k\u0101p\u014d\u00a0breeding season still involves heavy human involvement<\/a> , some birds are artificially inseminated at the beginning of the breeding season, and many eggs are placed in incubators to increase the likelihood of a successful hatch. <\/span><\/p>\n

According to the Department of Conservation, the goal is to gradually step away so that the population can naturally self-sustain without as much intervention. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs the population grows, we will begin to step back on some of the more hands-on management so we can begin to understand what a more natural level of survival looks like,\u201d Vercoe said. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n