Kākāpō Files

An adventure through the bumpy bumper 2019 breeding season of NZ's rare flightless parrot.

Hosted by Alison Ballance

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Kākāpō - night parrot

Episode 1
The kākāpō is one of the world's rarest birds, and in the first episode of the Kākāpō Files we learn about the giant flightless parrot's 'love triangle.'
The scientific name for kākāpō means 'owl face - soft feathered' (Strigops habroptilus).

Early birds

Episode 2
In episode 2 of the Kākāpō Files we find out that when it comes to kākāpō breeding the early birds are, well, very early.
Kākāpō are currently found on three islands. Whenua Hou / Codfish Island, near Stewart island. Pukenui / Anchor Island in Fiordland. And Hauturu / Little Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf.

Busy birds

Episode 3
Kākāpō breeding action really kicked off on Christmas Eve and in episode 3 of the Kākāpō Files we discover it is in full swing.
The giant flightless kakapo is the heaviest parrot in the world.

Action stations

Episode 4
Don't count your kākāpō chicks until they hatch, kākāpō leaky homes and lots more kākāpō sex, all in episode 4 of the Kākāpō Files.
Sinbad is one of three kakapo with Fiordland genes, from their father Richard Henry.

Super-studs & hitting the reset button

Episode 5
The most popular kākāpō males will get a chance to do it all over again as the females are encouraged to mate and nest for a second time, in episode 5 of the Kākāpō Files.
Boss is one of the original Stewart Island kākāpō, and a successful breeder with a proven track record.

Full house

Episode 6
Forty eight out of fifty kākāpō females on the southern islands have mated, nesting is well underway and the first AI has been carried out, all in episode 6 of the Kākāpō Files.
Sinbad was fathered by the last remaining Fiordland kākāpō male, Richard Henry, and is important for the genetic diversity of the species.

The chicks are hatching

Episode 7
The first two chicks of the 2019 kākāpō breeding season have hatched and the exciting news keeps coming in, in episode 7 of the Kākāpō Files.
The first chick of the 2019 kakapo breeding season hatched on the 30th of January. Its mum is Waikawa and its father is probably Horton.

Dark days

Episode 7
A deadly fungal disease strikes the kākāpō population on Whenua Hou and the Kākāpō Recovery team calls on New Zealand wildlife vets to help.
Before her untimely death from the fungal disease aspergillosis, Hoki was foster mum to three kākāpō chicks. From left to right, Huhana-2-A-19, Pearl-2-B-19 and Bella-1-A-19.

Round two begins

Episode 8
The chicks that have hatched are off to Dunedin, the females have started mating again, and there is breeding action on Hauturu, all in episode 8 of the Kākāpō Files.
Roha-1-A is the seventh kakapo chick to hatch in the 2019 breeding season.

On the island

Episode 9
More than 160 kākāpō eggs have been laid and the first 21 chicks have hatched, but there is also news of the first chick death, in episode 9 of the Kākāpō Files.
Deidre Vercoe, operations manager of DOC's Kakapo Recovery Team, checks the fertility of a kakapo egg, laid by a female called Queenie. The check is made at the nest at night, when the female is away from her nest.

Kākāpō chick growth looking promising

Bonus episode
There is good news from down south, where the endangered kākāpō is having its best breeding season ever. No one is game enough to predict exactly how many chicks might make it to adulthood, but the numbers look promising. Kākāpō Files producer Alison Ballance has just been down to Whenua Hou/Codfish Island to check on the action.
A very young kākāpō chick at Whenua Hou / Codfish Island.

Flying kākāpō sperm

Episode 10
In a world-first for kākāpō conservation, a drone (nicknamed the 'spermcopter') has flown kākāpō sperm across Whenua Hou / Codfish Island - the Kākāpō Files was there for episode 10.
Flying kakapo sperm - a world first. DOC's Kakapo Recovery Team manager Deidre Vercoe with 'spermcopter' drone pilot Anton Marsden, and sperm expert Andreas Bublat holding a tiny vial of kakapo sperm.

Kākāpō rangers

Episode 11
There is a hard-working team of island rangers helping save kākāpō, working day and night, and the chick tally has reached 44, in episode 11 of the Kākāpō Files.
JEM the Cessna has been ferrying passengers and equipment for Whenua Hou / Codfish Island for 26 years. Stewart Island's Ruggedy Range is in the background.

Kākāpō helpers

Episode 11
Volunteers from around the world are helping the kākāpō team, with tasks ranging from feeding birds and people, looking after the power system on Whenua Hou and studying kākāpō sperm. We meet them in episode 12 of the Kākāpō Files.
Hoki, the first-ever hand-reared kakapo, at her nest entrance under a rotten tree. She laid infertile eggs but is looking after two foster chicks.

Fat happy kākāpō chicks

Episode 13
Thirty four kākāpō chicks are putting on plenty of weight in wild nests as the rimu fruit ripens, and 23 chicks are also being hand-reared, in episode 13 of the Kākāpō Files.
Two kākāpō chicks that are nearly a month old, thriving in a nest on Anchor Island in Fiordland.

Kotahitanga and kākāpō

Episode 14
Kākāpō chick numbers continue to climb. The latest tally is 64 chicks, including one named Kotahitanga, meaning unity and solidarity.
Kākāpō foster mum, Hauturu, with three rapidly growing chicks in a nest on Anchor Island in Fiordland. She was happy to chew on a couple of almonds offered to her by a kākāpō ranger.

Kākāpō chicks still hatching

Episode 14
Most of the 72 kākāpō chicks are thriving in wild nests, the males are winding down their booming, and there are 7 fertile eggs still to hatch, in episode 15 of the Kākāpō Files.
Most kākāpō chicks are now in wild nests, putting on lots of weight as their foster mums feed them lots of rimu fruit.

Longest kākāpō breeding season

Episode 16
With 75 living chicks and the final three eggs due to hatch this week, the 2019 kākāpō breeding season is set to be the longest on record. All this & the sex ratio of the first 49 chicks, in episode 16 of the Kākāpō Files.
Female kākāpō Queenie with chicks Boomer-3-A-19, Alice-2-A-19 and Tumeke-2-A-19.

Glad and sad kākāpō tidings

Episode 17
The death of Hoki from a fungal infection brings the number of adult kākāpō to 146, while there are 77 chicks. Episode 17 of the Kākāpō Files includes a visit to Anchor Island & all the latest news.
Kākāpō mum Yasmine with her two newly fledged foster chicks, in her nest on Anchor Island.

Worrying times for kākāpō

Episode 18
A spate of kākāpō chicks deaths from a fungal pneumonia caused by aspergillosis has DOC's Kākāpō Recovery Team very worried. Two further adult deaths bring the population to 144 birds with 73 living chicks, all in episode 18 of the Kākāpō Files.
The kakapo chicks Alice-2-A and Tumeke-2-A have recently fledged but still sometimes return to visit Queenie's nest.

Kākāpō health concerns continue

Episode 19
The number of cases of aspergillosis in the kākāpō population continues to rise, with 30 birds on the mainland for testing & treatment. The deaths of Huhana and Merty drop the adult population to 142, in episode 19 of the Kākāpō Files.
Kākāpō chick Nora-1-A has just been diagnosed with severe aspergillosis, which causes fungal pneumonia and led to the death of her foster mother, Huhana.

Behind-the-scenes of the kākāpō health crisis

Episode 20
Kākāpō death toll from aspergillosis rises by one to seven, while nine birds have been given a clean bill of health. Sad and positive news from the frontline of the fight to save kākāpō, in episode 20 of the Kākāpō Files.
Adult female kākāpō Ihi receiving medical treatment at Auckland Zoo.

Kākāpō waiting game

Episode 21
The kākāpō health crisis is stable, with no further cases of aspergillosis diagnosed, and seven hand-reared chicks have been successfully released in the wild, in episode 21 of the Kākāpō Files.
Daryl Eason, from the Department of Conservation's Kākāpō Recovery programme, watches on as hand-reared chicks Tiwhiri-2-A and Marama-1-A learn to eat different native plants as they prepare for their release into the wild.

Kākāpō dads revealed

Episode 22
Paternity testing has revealed who the top kākāpō dads are, as well as the success of the artificial insemination programme, in episode 22 of the Kākāpō Files.
One of three chicks fathered by Gulliver, who has rare Fiordland genes. The chick's mother is Suzanne.

Kākāpō chicks growing up

Episode 23
The kākāpō chicks are graduating to being juveniles and only seven birds are still sick with aspergillosis, in episode 23 of the Kākāpō Files.
When kakapo chicks reach 150 days old they graduate to being juveniles. They won't be counted as adults until they are four and a half years old.

Kākāpō population hits new high of 213 birds

Episode 24
The youngest kākāpō chick has passed 150 days old, bringing the number of living juveniles to 71 and the overall kākāpō population to 213, in episode 24 of the Kākāpō Files.
The youngest chick of the bumper kakapo breeding season of 2018-19, Stella-3-B, has reached the 150-day milestone when it is considered to be a juvenile.

Our Changing World: A year of mainland kākāpō

Bonus episode
In July 2023 four male kākāpō were released into the fenced Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari – part of a new habitat trial to investigate suitable locations for the growing kākāpō population. But after a further six were introduced, the kākāpō began to wander – beyond the fence. A year on, and several escapes later, what’s been learned? And what’s next for kākāpō in Maungatautari?
A large speckled green parrot sits on a branch.

Our Changing World: Kākāpō update with Dr Andrew Digby

Bonus episode
Claire Concannon and Dr Andrew Digby talk about all things kākāpō: that habitat trial and where the birds are now, the next breeding season, and Andrew’s hopes for the future of this iconic manu.  
A close in shot of a kākāpō standing on a branch.

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