Conservationists go cuckoo over kākā sightings after long absence

Wednesday, 1 May 2019

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A handful of kākā sightings in Upper Hutt has conservationists excited following the native parrots' long absence from the area.

Pest Free Upper Hutt spokesman Chris Cosslett said the sightings in the suburb of Pinehaven had generated a lot of discussion among members of the city's conservation community over the past fortnight.

'It's the first time we've had confirmation they've got this far. It's really captured people's imaginations that the birds are here.'

A Department of Conservation said the appearance of kākā in Upper Hutt was 'very good news' after having been absent from the areas since the early 1900s. (File photo)

It is thought the kākā had come from Wellington where 14 birds were released at Zealandia wildlife sanctuary in Karori between 2002 and 2007.

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Zealandia conservation ranger Kari Beaven said the parrots had successfully bred inside the sanctuary and in surrounding suburbs, but she hadn't heard of any birds turning up in the Hutt Valley.

More than 1000 kākā had been banded by Zealandia staff since breeding began in Wellington.

She said the birds were capable of long distance flights with one reported to have flown from Zealandia to Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre north of Masterton and back - though this was unusual.

Department of Conservation senior communications advisor Herb Christophers said kākā had likely been absent from Upper Hutt since the early 1900s when large tracts of native forests were cleared for development and farming.

He said the reappearance of the parrots was 'very good news' and it opened the possibility of the Zealandia birds linking up with the 'remnant population' in Tararua Forest Park.

Christophers said numbers of the 'long-lived and slow breeding' birds in Wellington and the Tararua Range were improving thanks to conservation projects, the efforts of wildlife sanctuaries and community trapping groups who were actively removing predators from kākā habitat.