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Kākāpō Population Surges to 325 with 90 New Chicks
Confirmed
A record 90 chicks have been added to the count of the endangered kakapo parrot, bringing the population to a record 325 birds, the New Zealand Conservation Department said in a statement Tuesday. “The last time the population is thought to have exceeded 300 birds may have been as long as 75 years ago,” said Deidre Vercoe, the conservation department’s kākāpō recovery operations manager.
In the early years of recovery, it took 16 years to produce that many chicks,” said Deidre Vercoe, manager of the department’s kakapo recovery operations. “We had a four-year gap between breeding seasons, so it’s fantastic to finally see the population increase,” she said in a statement.
Kākāpō are thought to live between 60 and 80 years, can weigh up to 4kg and are famously entertaining. Modelling indicated the next breeding season could occur as soon as 2028, Deidre Vercoe said.
However, a small number of 2026 chicks will remain unnamed to signify the gradual shift toward a more natural future for the species as it continues its recovery journey, the group said.
What's confirmed
- In the early years of recovery, it took 16 years to produce that many chicks,” said Deidre Vercoe, manager of the department’s kakapo recovery operations.
- “The last time the population is thought to have exceeded 300 birds may have been as long as 75 years ago,” said Deidre Vercoe, the conservation department’s kākāpō recovery operations manager.
What's still developing
- A record 90 chicks have been added to the count of the endangered kakapo parrot, bringing the population to a record 325 birds, the New Zealand Conservation Department said in a statement Tuesday.
- “We had a four-year gap between breeding seasons, so it’s fantastic to finally see the population increase,” she said in a statement.
- However, a small number of 2026 chicks will remain unnamed to signify the gradual shift toward a more natural future for the species as it continues its recovery journey, the group said.
- Kākāpō are thought to live between 60 and 80 years, can weigh up to 4kg and are famously entertaining.
- Modelling indicated the next breeding season could occur as soon as 2028, Deidre Vercoe said.