17th December
The kākāpō, a story of hope
by Jake
Christmas is a time for love, care, giving, and receiving. It is a time for reflection on the year gone by, and it offers a chance to plan for what lies ahead. The COVID-19 pandemic has been at the very centre of our lives for the last year, and it has side-lined our thoughts about many other global issues which continue to affect the natural world. With a vaccine on the way, we can now begin to think again about the ways in which we can care for the world and the creatures who inhabit it with us.
One creature that is in desperate need of our continued support is the nocturnal kākāpō (meaning ‘night parrot’). The kākāpō is a critically endangered flightless parrot which is endemic to New Zealand. Kākāpō numbers dropped as low as 50 individuals in 1995, but with copious amounts of care, numbers have slowly risen to 208. With ongoing love and attention, these birds will hopefully continue to bounce back, offering a beacon of hope to other critically endangered bird species.
Let’s meet the kākāpō (also known as the ‘mighty moss chicken’). Weighing up to 4kg, the kākāpō is the largest parrot species in the world. It is also one of the most endangered bird species on our planet. Once, the kākāpō was one of the most successful herbivores found in New Zealand, but their numbers were decimated with the introduction of predators that accompanied settlers and colonisers. Over 650 years ago, Polynesian settlers introduced kiore and dogs to the country, and in the nineteenth century, British colonists brought rats, cats, stoats, ferrets, and weasels along with them. Their striking fluorescent green feathers certainly provide them with camouflage, but their musty-sweet odour has allowed predators to hunt them with relative ease. The parrots have an incredibly short wingspan for their size, meaning that they are unable to get airborne to escape these threats.
It became clear to locals that the kākāpō was in serious danger of extinction. Efforts to conserve the species began as early as the 1890s, but it was only with the implementation of the Kākāpō Recovery Programme in 1995 that numbers started to stabilise and increase. Nowadays, most kākāpō are found on only four predator-free islands, which removes them from the dangers of predation. Transporting the remaining birds halted their decline, but it was only when the kiore were removed from the island that the population began to increase. Low fertility rates and infrequent breeding habits have made conserving the species difficult, but kākāpō nests are now closely monitored to protect them from rats. Also, any chicks which seem to be failing are rescued and hand-raised by specialists.
With continued care from conservationists working tirelessly to save the species, the kākāpō is slowly on its way back from the brink of extinction. The fate of the species is still balanced on a knife edge; they are still classed as critically endangered, but numbers are slowly rising. You can find out more about the kākāpō and how to support the work being put into their protection on the New Zealand Department of Conservation website, and you can even help out by adopting a kākāpō!
Humanity may have caused the plight of the kākāpō, but with the right amount of care, we can help to save the species.
And while we're helping to save the kākāpō, the kākāpō might even save Christmas!
Jake Gill
Title image: A taxidermy kākāpō on display on Nature's Library, Manchester Museum.