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https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-zealand-welcomes-a-record-90-kakapo-chicks-helping-the-worlds-chunkiest-parrot-species-rebound-from-the-brink-of-extinction-180989511/>
"A record 90 chicks have been added to New Zealand’s kakapo population this
year, raising hopes that the critically endangered parrots can bounce back from
the brink of extinction.
“It took about 16 years to make 90 chicks in the early days of the recovery
program,” Deidre Vercoe, a conservationist with New Zealand’s Department of
Conservation, tells Alison Ballance on
Radio New Zealand’s “Kakapo Files”
podcast. “And we’ve just done that in one season.”
The kakapo, which lives only in New Zealand, is the world’s heaviest parrot,
topping the scales at up to nine pounds. These hefty birds are flightless,
although some lighter females can glide across short distances. Instead, the
chunky creatures rely on their powerful claws and strong legs to climb trees
and waddle around on the ground.
Individual kakapo—which have mottled, bright green plumage—can live between 60
and 90 years. However, the species as a whole has suffered a steep population
decline because of hunting starting in the 13th century, as well as the
introduction of predators like rats, cats and stoats, a type of weasel. The
birds’ nocturnal habits help them avoid some predators, but their distinctive,
sweet-smelling odor can make them easy prey. Habitat loss, disease and
reproductive issues have also hampered the species.
The population plummeted to 51 birds—just 20 of them females—in 1995. But
thanks to concerted recovery efforts that started in the 1980s, the species has
slowly been making a comeback. On September 1, New Zealand’s Department of
Conservation shared the latest tally: 325 kakapo individuals.
That’s a “significant milestone” because the last time the parrots’ population
topped 300 individuals may have been as long as 75 years ago, Vercoe says in
the statement.
“To blow through that 300 population mark just knocks my socks off,” Vercoe
says on the “Kakapo Files” podcast. “Even as I say it now, I think ‘Really?
325—has that actually happened?’ But it is true; it is fantastic.”"
Via Joyce Donahue.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
