Kākāpō population tops 300 for first time in 75 years after record breeding season

New Zealand's kākāpō population grew by 90 chicks on 1 September, bringing the total to 325 — the highest number recorded since conservation efforts began. Deidre Vercoe, who manages the kākāpō recovery programme for the Department of Conservation, said the population likely last exceeded 300 birds around 75 years ago.

The kākāpō is the world's only nocturnal, flightless parrot. Once widespread across New Zealand, its numbers collapsed after predators such as cats and stoats were introduced to the country, leaving the species close to extinction by the early 1900s.

A slow but steady comeback

The recovery programme began in 1995 with just 51 surviving birds. Since then, it has faced ongoing challenges including limited genetic diversity, infertility and low hatching success. Three kākāpō breeding populations now exist, all located on predator-free islands off New Zealand's South Island.

Kākāpō breed only once every two to four years, timed to the mass fruiting of native rimu trees. This year, following a four-year gap without breeding, an abundant rimu berry harvest prompted the birds to breed in record numbers. Vercoe noted that in the programme's early years, reaching a similar number of chicks took 16 years.

Kākāpō can live between 60 and 80 years and weigh up to 4kg. More than 100,000 people watched a livestream of a female kākāpō sleeping, feeding and tending to her nest and chicks. The species has a distinctive mating ritual in which males gather at a site called a lek to produce a deep booming call, audible from up to 5km away.

After mating, females typically lay one to four eggs and care for them alone for about six months. Chicks are considered independent and added to the population count at 150 days old. The youngest chick this season, a female named Awarua-A3, hatched on 30 March. Modelling suggests the next breeding season could occur as early as 2028.