Search for new kākāpō habitats urgent as islands full ahead of breeding season

Thursday, 25 February 2021

Margaret Maree, a kākāpō from Codfish Island, has survived her battle with a potentially fatal fungal lung infection (first published in 2020).

The need for a new home for New Zealand’s critically endangered kākāpō is growing ever more important as the species nears a near breeding season.

Kākāpō currently reside on four predator-free islands – Codfish Island/Whenua Hou, Te Hauturu-o-Toi/Little Barrier Island, Chalky Island/Te Kakahu and Anchor Island.

But their current habitats have hit capacity and the Department of Conservation is searching for a new island.

Margaret Maree is a 34 year old kakapo who picked up a fungal lung infection on her home of Codfish Island. She was being treated by Auckland Zoo staff, receiving x-rays at VSA Vets in Mt Wellington, before being released. (File photo)

Finding the right spot has been a big focus point for the team over the past few years, senior ranger Dr Jodie Crane said, as they knew they would reach a stage where there was no more room for kākāpō chicks.

**READ MORE:

Seventy-one Kākāpo chicks were added to the population in the 2019 breeding season. (File photo)

* Two young kākāpō found dead on offshore islands

* Kākāpō to head home from Auckland Zoo after lengthy battle with deadly disease

The current habitats for kākāpō are all at capacity. (File photo)

* DOC rangers using drones to fly Kākāpō semen to breeding sites

With no predator-free islands big enough, the only option is to find a big enough island and eradicate the pests.

“It’s a huge piece of work [to make islands predator-free], there are different approaches to eradicating each species, so you end up with a multi-layered response,” Crane said.

The goal is to find a site which would have the capacity to handle 20 more years of breeding, she said.

A big breeding season is expected in 2022 according to weather patterns and rimu tree fruit counts, Crane said, so a new island needs to be found soon.

The last breeding season, in 2019, added 71 chicks to the kākāpō population.

Te Kakahu was the most recent addition to the list of habitats, with the Department of Conservation moving 26 birds there in late 2020.

The birds have taken to their new home well and are showing good signs at the moment, Crane said.

The next step after islands is to look at a fenced-off sanctuary, she said, before introducing the birds to the mainland, but that is a long way off.

Kākāpo facts

Conservation status: Threatened, nationally critical

Found on: Codfish Island/Whenua Hou, Anchor Island, Te Hauturu-o-Toi/Little Barrier Island and Chalky Island/Te Kakahu

Threats: Predators, disease, genetic inbreeding, infertility

Characteristics: Nocturnal; flightless; perhaps the longest-lived bird species in the world, estimated to reach 90 years old; the heaviest parrot species in the world, smaller females 1.4kg and males 2.2 kg.