Kakapo breeding season off to a great start

February 29, 2008

The breeding season of New Zealand’s most endangered bird, the kakapo, is off to a great start with at least two fertile eggs laid on Codfish Island and two female birds, previously thought to be too young, also laying eggs.

Conservation Minister Steve Chadwick says it is hugely exciting that two six-year-old kakapo females have laid eggs, because we previously thought the minimum breeding age was nine years.

“This discovery is a great surprise for the Department of Conservation’s Kakapo Recovery Team, and although the eggs may not be fertile, it’s big news that these birds could lay eggs at all.

“The Labour-led government is committed to the recovery of our endangered native species, and kakapo are a top priority with only 86 birds remaining in two protected offshore islands.”

The recovery team has also confirmed that kakapo eggs laid elsewhere on Whenua Hou or Codfish Island are fertile.  Kakapo are extremely slow breeders and these are the first eggs laid since 2005.

Steve Chadwick says the fertile eggs are a great sign that this could be the start of a long process of breeding for this species, and DOC will be doing all we can to improve their survival rates.

“In the last breeding season in 2005, the fertility rate was just 58 per cent so the recovery team will be making every effort to successfully hatch the current batch of eggs.”

To give these chicks the best chance of survival, volunteers will be keeping a nightly vigil to mind their nests, making sure the female incubates them properly and even using heat pads on the eggs to make sure they don’t go cold.

“This is an internationally significant recovery programme, and the Labour-led government is proud to work closely with volunteers and DOC staff in the recovery of New Zealand’s most endangered bird.”