Kākā

Nestor meridionalis – bush parrot, kākā, brown parrot, kawkaw

Endemic to New Zealand they are now extinct in the Tangihua ranges.

Kākā  are unable to raise chicks on the main land unless well protected against predators. There are Kākā  at Whangarei Heads and the Hen and Chicks and they can occasionally visit the Tangihua’s but do not stay long

Kākā  description

Kākā  are generally heard before they are seen. They are are large, forest-dwelling parrots. Kākā  can be found in a wide variety of native forest types including podocarp and beech forest and were at one stage found all over New Zealand.

Identification

A large, olive-brown parrot with grey-white crown and bright, red-orange underwing and deep crimson belly and under-tail coverts. Males have a noticeably longer and deeper upper beak and bigger head than females but this is generally only apparent when the two sexes are seen side by side.

Voice:

A harsh, repeated, rhythmic ka-aa when flying above the forest canopy, harsh grating kraak alarm call when disturbed. They also have a variety of loud, musical whistles. Males give a soft tsee-tsee-tsee call during the pre-copulatory display and when showing potential nest sites to females. Females soliciting food from their mates, and juveniles soliciting food from their parents, utter a guttural, repeated aa-aa call.

Distribution and habitat

Once common through out New Zealand except for areas adjacent to offshore island strongholds such as the Hen and Chicken Islands, Little Barrier Island, Kapiti Island, Kākā  are rare or non-existent

Population

Probably fewer than 10,000 birds. There appears to be sufficient gene flow between most populations to prevent the development of significant genetic differences between them.

Breeding

Kākā  mainly breed in spring and summer, but occasional second broods can extend breeding into winter. Nests are generally in tree cavities over 5 metres above the ground, but can be at ground level on offshore islands. The nest floor is lined with small wood chips. The typical clutch size is 4. The female alone incubates the eggs and cares for the nestlings but is fed by the male throughout the breeding season. Both parents feed the fledglings which often fledge before they are able to fly, or even climb, effectively.

Behaviour and ecology

Kākā  are forest birds that obtain all their food from trees. They are adept fliers, capable of weaving through trunks and branches, and can cover long distances, including over water. Radio-tracking and banding studies revealed that the Kākā  of the Hen and Chickens, Little Barrier and Great Barrier Islands are effectively one population, even though these islands are separated by as much as 25 km of open water.
Kākā  congregate at localised food sources such as flowering rata, but often forage alone for wood-boring insect larvae, fruit or seeds.

Food

Kākā  consume seeds, fruit, nectar, sap, honeydew and tree-dwelling, especially wood-boring, invertebrates. There are also two records of Kākā  preying on the eggs of small birds.
Kākā  are seasonal specialists, moving from food source to food source as different fruits, seeds and nectar become available.

Recovery plan for Kākā  in the Tangihua ranges

Issue

The Tanguhua forest would be suitable for Kākā  but introduced mammalian predators, particularly the stoat, and possums prevent them from establishing. It is predation by these pests, particularly of nesting females, that is the issue Kākā  can coexist with rats, and possibly also with possums, but not with stoats.
Kākā  populations can, however, recover when stoats and other pests are controlled by trapping and or poisoning.

Action

A good trapping and poisoning programme removing stoats, cats and possums may allow the Kākā  to reintroduce themselves into the the Tangihua forest.