Bumper breeding season boosts Kākāpō population

Kākāpō numbers have increased from 197 to 252 in the 2022 breeding season, and there are now more of the endangered parrots than there have been for almost 50 years.

Andrew Digby (@digs.bsky.social)

The #kakapo chicks are coming thick and fast! We're now up to 10 hatched. Here are Tiwhiri-A1 and Tiwhiri-A2 receiving a health check at Yasmine's nest on Pukenui/Anchor Island. 📸: Lydia Uddstrom #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds #parrots

Andrew Digby (@digs.bsky.social)

Checking on 1 day old #kakapo chick Waa-A3-2026 in Waa's nest on Pukenui/Anchor Island. We check the chicks twice in the first 4 days, and then less frequently as they get older. #kakapo2026 #conservation #parrots

Duncan Jones (aka Merrion) (he/him) (@duncanjonesmerrion.bsky.social)

First we'll do six quick chick checks, based upon each chick's peak sex specs. Then I'll check each chick's tickers ticks, You can check their slick liquids stocks.

Andrew Digby (@digs.bsky.social)

You know that feeling when you're struggling to stay awake? #kakapo chicks Tiwhiri-A3 and Tiwhiri-A4 in Tiwhiri's nest on Pukenui/Anchor Island. Both around two weeks old, and doing well. #kakapo2026 #conservation #parrots

Kākāpō Files II podcast

Following the next breeding season of the world’s favourite parrot.

‘My lovely distraction’: live stream of kākāpō – world’s fattest parrot – and her chicks captivates New Zealand

More than 100,000 people have tuned in to watch a kākāpō – a rare flightless bird – sleeping, tidying her nest and fighting off intruders

Kākāpō Recovery

Kākāpō Recovery. 95,374 likes · 7,043 talking about this. DOC's Kākāpō Recovery Programme combines the efforts of iwi, rangers, volunteers, scientists and supporters to protect the critically...

Andrew Digby (@digs.bsky.social)

Conservation biologist and former astrophysicist. Scientist for threatened birds with the #kakapo and #takahe programmes at the New Zealand Department of Conservation. Avatar: @blackmudpuppy.bsky.social

Bluesky

Andrew Digby (@digs.bsky.social)

The youngest #kakapo alive: Awarua-A3, 17 days old today. Despite appearances, she’s doing well. She won’t be leaving the nest until mid-June. It’s a long breeding season! #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds.

Andrew Digby (@digs.bsky.social)

#kakapo breeding fridge update. With all eggs hatched, the only changes from now will be chicks dying 😕 (And maybe Rimu’s nest). #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds

Andrew Digby (@digs.bsky.social)

#kakapo Esperance with chick Elsie-A2-2026 on Whenua Hou. At a month old the chicks start to get coloured feathers and males will weigh around 1kg - not far off the mother's weight. But she's still less than halfway through raising them in the nest! #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds #wildlife

Species-wide genomics of kākāpō provides tools to accelerate recovery - Nature Ecology & Evolution

The kākāpō is an intensively managed parrot endemic to New Zealand. Using genome sequencing data for all living kākāpō together with long-term phenotypic data, the authors devise an approach to identify genetic associations with fitness traits, which is informing species recovery plans.

Recordings point to second Queensland population of rare night parrot

Ecologists say thousands of hours of audio recordings have detected night parrot calls in south-west Queensland.

Andrew Digby (@digs.bsky.social)

The 92 living #kakapo chicks are from 29 to 73 days old. The oldest have had transmitters fitted and have fledged (roosted outside the nest during the day). They'll stay with their nest mother for several more months, then will leave once they're 6+ months old. #kakapo2026 #conservation #wildlife

Kākāpō Files II 16 | Kākāpō Chicks Growing Up episode of Wild Sounds: Kākāpō Files II

The tally of confirmed living kākāpō chicks goes down with two further deaths, but gets a welcome boost with the confirmation of a living chick in a previously inaccessible nest. This brings the number of living chicks to 93, ranging in weight from 770 grams to nearly 2.5 kilograms. On all three kākāpō breeding islands, the oldest kākāpō chicks are fledging and leaving their nests. They are still accompanied and fed by their mothers, but find their own shelter. Before chicks leave the nest for good, kākāpō rangers visit to insert microchips as a permanent identification, and to attach transmitters that enable the Kākāpō Team to locate the chicks and monitor their activity levels remotely.

Andrew Digby (@digs.bsky.social)

Two months ago, I returned a fertile #kakapo egg (Whetu-A3) to the nest and tried to remove another infertile egg from beneath her. She wouldn't let me take the egg, so I offered her the new one. Tricky to do that with one hand while using my phone to see what I was doing! Luckily she took the egg!