However the birds have plummeted from abundance to a known population of fewer than 50, in around While there is no extra funding or resources attached to the annual bird of the year award it does help put the species in the minds of the population. Having been saved from the brink of extinction they are still alarmingly scarce. High profile conservation mascots such as Sirocco helped capture the imagination of the public. Sirocco the 'advocacy parrot' is a regular tweeter and has quarter of a million facebook fans.
He rocketed to fame after a number of high-profile TV appearances, including getting to know actor Stephen Fry. The encounter which left a mark on the comedian and his camera crew can be seen in the BBC video: "shagged by a rare parrot". Today the parrots only exist on a handful of sanctuary islands, under close supervision. Jansen in litt. Merton in litt. Although it disappeared from most of its original range in the wake of human colonisation, the species remained abundant in Fiordland and some other higher-rainfall and more sparsely inhabited parts of South Island until the early twentieth century Clout and Merton By , however, the known population had been reduced to 18 birds, all males, all in Fiordland.
In , a rapidly declining population of c. Between and , 61 remaining Stewart Island birds were transferred to offshore islands Merton , Merton and Clout , Higgins , Merton et al. Digby in litt. The last accepted North Island record was in , the last South Island record of three males in Fiordland in , and the last Stewart Island record of a female found and transferred to Codfish Island in Powlesland et al.
The species is now likely to be extinct in its natural range. In , only 26 females and 36 males survived Merton and Clout , comprising 50 individuals of breeding age, six subadults and six juveniles. The population stabilised, and has begun to slowly increase Higgins , Merton et al.
By , the kakapo population stood at 86; a productive breeding year in saw the total population increase to birds Merton , and there were known to be birds in early A large breeding season in increased the population to 50 adult females, 58 adult males, 15 juveniles, 34 chicks; A Digby, in litt. This large, flightless, nocturnal parrot feeds on leaves, stems, roots, fruit, nectar and seeds, and, prior to human colonisation, it formerly inhabited a range of vegetation types throughout most of the North, South and Stewart Islands.
A model of kakapo fossil records and habitat types has indicated that the species previously occurred in mountain beech and Hall's totara or broadleaf forests with moderate to high precipitation and milder winters Lentini et al. It breeds once every two to five years, coinciding with periodic superabundant seeding or fruiting periods of key podocarp plant species: on Codfish, Stewart and Pearl Islands nesting has only occurred when rimu Dacrydium cupressinum or pink pine Halocarpus biformis fruit has been abundant Harper et al.
Males cluster in traditional lekking sites and advertise their presence by calling each night for about three months, with mating occurring mainly between January and early March Powlesland et al. One to four eggs are laid and all parental care is performed by the female, with eggs and chicks being left unattended for several hours at night. Female kakapo take years to reach breeding age, have a mean lifespan of at least 60 years A. Biological Conservation 99 : Farrimond, M.
Home range size of kakapo Strigops habroptilus on Codfish Island. Growth and fledging of kakapo. Harper, G. What triggers nesting of kakapo Strigops habroptilus? Agonistic display and social interaction between female kakapo Strigops habroptilus. Higgins, P. Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic birds. Oxford University Press, Melbourne.
Jansen, P. Kakapo recovery: the basis of decision-making. Powlesland, R. A parrot apart: the natural history of the kakapo Strigops habroptilus and the context of its conservation management. Raubenheimer, D. The challenge of supplementary feeding: can geometric analysis help save the kakapo.
Robertson, B. The role of genetics in kakapo recovery. Walsh, J. Seasonal changes in home range and habitat selection by kakapo Strigops habroptilus on Maud Island.
Wilson, D. Wood, J. In Miskelly, C. New Zealand Birds Online. A very large bulky flightless moss green parrot with a pale owl-like face and large grey bill, legs and feet. The upperparts are moss green mottled with yellow and black above, and similar but more yellow below. Male Rangi booming and chinging. Male Rangi skraaking call. Calls from a young male Snark. Checklist of the birds of NZ.
Bird distribution in NZ. This file is KB. Field guide to the birds of NZ. This file is Birds of NZ - Locality guide. Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic birds:. Volume 4. The discovery of NZ's birds. Kakapo Strigops habroptilus G. Gray, Order: Psittaciformes Family: Strigopidae.
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