Wild Sounds: Voice of the Kākāpō

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

Wild Sounds is RNZ's new podcast feed dedicated to incredible natural science stories from NZ

A green illustration of a Kākāpō's head, side on. The text 'Voice of the Kākāpō' sits in the bottom right corner. The text 'Wild Sounds' sits at the top.

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Voice of the Kākāpō 01 | Kākāpō - night parrot

Season 3 / Episode 1
The kākāpō is a giant flightless parrot whose fortunes are tied to the rimu tree and to a dedicated team of rangers from the Department of Conservation. This episode was first released on 25 February 2020.
Stella-2-B is a juvenile from the bumper 2019 kakapo breeding season.

Voice of the Kākāpō 02 | Whenua Hou, kākāpō island

Season 3 / Episode 2
The kākāpō team know all the signs are good for a big kākāpō breeding season - the question is exactly how big and when will it start? This episode was first released on 27 February 2020.
Tutū is one of 73 chicks that successfully fledged during the 2019 kākāpō breeding season. Her name means to stand out or be prominent.

Voice of the Kākāpō 03 | Nest checks

Season 3 / Episode 3
Kākāpō breeding is in full swing after an early start, and DOC's Deidre Vercoe and Andrew Digby are checking to see if eggs are fertile. This episode was first released on 3 March 2020.
Deidre Vercoe manages the Kākāpō Recovery Programme at the Department of Conservation.

Voice of the Kākāpō 04 | Promise

Season 3 / Episode 4
Most of the female kākāpō have bred and the team is carrying precious fertile eggs to the 'egg room' for incubation. Meanwhile, on Anchor Island, the rain is falling. This episode was first released on 5 March 2020.
Holding a torch against a kākāpō egg reveals a developing embryo.

Voice of the Kākāpō 05 | Kākāpō sperm takes to the air

Season 3 / Episode 5
The tally of infertile eggs is climbing and the kākāpō team is using artificial insemination - and a drone - to try and counter the problem. This episode was first released on 10 March 2020.
Andrew Digby with a kākāpō called Sinbad, who has important Fiordland genes.

Introducing: Voice of the Kākāpō

Trailer
Claire Concannon introduces you to the next series from Wild Sounds. Hosted by Alison Ballance, hear the adventure through the bumpy bumper 2019 breeding season of NZ's rare flightless parrot.