The population of New Zealand’s kakapo, an endangered flightless parrot, has increased 25 percent in the past year to 252 birds following a good breeding season and success with artificial insemination, the New Zealand Department of Conservation said yesterday.
The kakapo have been nearly wiped out by introduced predators such as stoats. The problem has been exacerbated by inbreeding, low fertility — only 50 percent of eggs are fertilized — and as they only breed every two or three years when native rimu trees fruit.
The population of the kakapo, which is the world’s heaviest parrot, is now at its highest number since the 1970s.
“There were just 86 kakapo when I first started working as a kakapo ranger in 2002. That number was scary. Having a breeding season with 55 chicks feels like a very positive step,” said Deidre Vercoe, operational manager for the kakapo recovery program.
The program was established in 1995. It is a collaboration between the department and Maori tribe Ngai Tahu and uses volunteers to help with activities such as monitoring the nests to keep them out of trouble. Some birds have had to be rescued after getting stuck in mud or after their legs were caught in trees.
Vercoe said in an e-mail that a lot of the success this season was due to the amount of fruit on rimu trees.
Success with artificial insemination this season was also key.
Eight surviving chicks were born from artificial insemination, compared with just five in the decade to 2019.
“Using artificial insemination has meant that some males, who had not yet naturally fathered chicks, are still represented in the future gene pool,” Vercoe said. “Artificial insemination can also help to increase fertility of the eggs laid.”
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