Record Breeding Season Pushes Kakapo Population Above 300 for First Time in 75 Years

Ninety chicks were officially added to the critically endangered kakapo population on September 1, raising the total to 325 individuals. This marks the first time the species has exceeded 300 birds since a count 75 years ago, according to the Department of Conservation’s recovery operations manager.

The Guardian

The kakapo, once nearly extinct after the introduction of predators such as cats and stoats, numbered just 51 birds when a formal recovery programme began in 1995. The programme has faced challenges including limited genetic diversity, infertility and low hatching rates. All three remaining breeding groups are confined to predator-free islands off New Zealand’s South Island.

The Guardian

Kakapo breed only every two to four years, triggered by massive fruiting of the native rimu tree. A bumper rimu berry harvest this cycle prompted an unprecedented breeding response, producing the 90 chicks recorded. Females lay one to four eggs, incubate them alone, and care for the hatchlings for roughly six months. Chicks fledge at about 150 days; the youngest of the 2026 cohort, female Awarua-A3, hatched on March 30. Modelling suggests the next breeding season could occur as early as 2028.

The Guardian

Deidre Vercoe, the kakapo recovery operations manager, highlighted the rarity of such a population surge, noting that the last comparable count occurred decades ago. She also emphasized the long-term effort required, recalling that early recovery years needed 16 years to achieve a similar number of chicks.

The Guardian

• “The last time the population is thought to have exceeded 300 birds may have been as long as 75 years ago,” — Deidre Vercoe, the conservation department’s kakapo recovery operations manager

The Guardian

• “In the early years of recovery, it took 16 years to produce that many chicks,” — Deidre Vercoe, the conservation department’s kakapo recovery operations manager

The Guardian