New Zealand's Department of Conservation reports breeding is underway for the critically endangered kākāpō after an abundant rimu fruit (mast) triggered mating. With only 236 birds in the wild, biologists say this season could produce 50+ chicks by February — potentially a record. Conservationists celebrate the recovery progress but warn that limited predator-free habitat remains a key challenge.
World's Heaviest Parrot Poised For Potential Record Breeding Season After Rimu Berry Boom
GettyA kākāpō bird.
Conservationists in New Zealand are cautiously optimistic after a bumper crop of native rimu fruit has triggered the breeding season for the critically endangered kākāpō — the world's heaviest parrot.
The Department of Conservation (DOC) confirmed mating is underway for the nocturnal, flightless kākāpō, which can weigh up to about 8 lb (≈3.6 kg). With just 236 birds in the wild, the species breeds irregularly in years when rimu trees undergo a mass fruiting event (a "mast").
GettyThe kākāpō is a nocturnal, flightless parrot that weigh in at as much as 8 pounds and can live for up to 90 years.
Why This Year Matters
DOC Kākāpō Recovery Operations Manager Deidre Vercoe said the team expects increased mating activity over the coming month and is preparing for what could be "the biggest breeding season since the program began 30 years ago." Biologist Andrew Digby told The Washington Post he expects more than 50 chicks could hatch around February if the rimu crop holds — potentially a record season for the species.
Conservation Success — And New Challenges
Kākāpō numbers collapsed after large-scale human settlement and the introduction of predators such as rats and cats. Intensive recovery work beginning in the 1980s relocated birds from southern Rakiura to three predator-free offshore sanctuaries and eliminated invasive predators to provide safe breeding habitat.
Xinhua/Yang Liu via GettySirocco is photographed at the Orokonui Ecosanctuary in Dunedin, New Zealand in 2018.
That recovery has been effective, but it has created a new problem: limited predator-free habitat. "We are actually running out of space for kākāpō and predator-free, good-quality habitat," Vercoe told The Guardian. Managers must now balance expanding safe habitat with continuing to grow the population.
About The Species
Kākāpō are long-lived (individuals may live into their 80s), excellent climbers who can reach high into the canopy to feed, and typically raise one chick per successful season. They are also known for quirky personalities — one male, Sirocco, became internationally famous after a 2009 viral clip showing odd behavior toward a BBC presenter.
"We want to create healthy, self-sustaining populations of kākāpō that are thriving, not just surviving," Vercoe said. The long-term aim is to return the species across more of its former New Zealand range so that hearing a kākāpō boom might one day be a normal part of the natural soundscape.
Despite renewed optimism, kākāpō remain classified as critically endangered. DOC says active management will continue until populations are robust and safe habitats are secured and expanded.
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