Rare kākā seen in Christchurch

Thursday, 17 January 2019

A South Island kākā similar to the one shown has been spotted in a Christchurch backyard. (File photo)

An endangered kākā has been spotted in a Christchurch backyard – about 100 kilometres away from home.

The Department of Conservation (DOC) has had only two or three sightings of the native parrot in the Garden City reported to it in the last 30 years.

Mandy Dickie was shocked to see the kākā, which is classified as nationally vulnerable, feeding on some big cankers in the wattle trees in her Mt Vernon backyard last week.

Did you see the kākā? Email reporters@press.co.nz

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She said she initially thought someone's parrot had escaped, but after getting binoculars out it was clear the colouring was wrong for that; 'The deep red on the tummy, it had a white head, the lovely nutty brown colour on the back and wings.'

The kākā came back the next night, seeming more comfortable and exploring lower branches of the wattle trees.

She said being able to see the rare bird in her backyard was a very special experience.

Project Janszoon and the Department of Conservation launched a breeding programme for northern South Island kaka in 2017 to improve the genetic diversity of the native parrot being introduced to Abel Tasman National Park.

Dickie said there were five or six fantails/pīwakawaka and a bellbird/korimako in the garden year round, and a pair of kererū had dropped in from time to time, but 'seeing a kākā trumps everything'.

The bird was confirmed as a kākā by DOC, based on a photograph and description provided by Dickie.

DOC senior ranger Anita Spencer said the closest population was in the Hawdon Valley in Arthur's Pass – about 100km away from Mt Vernon as the kākā flies.

'It's most likely that it could be a juvenile, so they're just looking for new territory, and he's just wandered out across the plains a bit further than they usually would.'

She said it was 'a bit like teenagers going out on their OE', but did not think the bird would hang around long because there were no other kākā to interact with, or any large blocks (thousands of hectares) of native forest, which is their preferred habitat.

Spencer said there are about 10,000 kākā in New Zealand, including both the North Island and South Island subspecies. The birds can be found in Whirinaki, Pureora, Stewart Island, and from Nelson down the West Coast to fiordland.

They are also thriving in predator-free offshore islands and are a common sight in Wellington due to the success of the population in Zealandia ecosanctuary.

Spencer said kākā were vulnerable to predators such as stoats and possums, especially the females, which nest in holes in trees.

In November, a tūī was captured on film flitting through the flax bushes in a Huntsbury backyard. Though the birds are common in New Zealand, they have largely disappeared from Christchurch.