Record breeding season lifts Kākāpō population to 325
Ninety chicks have joined the official population after reaching independence, taking the Critically Endangered parrot to a recovery-era high.
A record breeding season has lifted the official Kākāpō population to 325, its highest total since the modern recovery programme began.
Ninety chicks have now joined the population after the youngest surviving bird reached 150 days old, the milestone at which the flightless parrots are considered independent. New Zealand's Department of Conservation says the species may not have numbered more than 300 for around 75 years.
The result follows a four-year gap between breeding seasons. Kākāpō usually breed only when rimu trees produce a heavy fruit crop, so opportunities to raise young are irregular and conservationists must be ready to support an intense nesting season when conditions align.
The Kākāpō Recovery programme began in 1995 with only 51 known birds, including 20 females. It took the programme's first 16 years to add 90 chicks—the same number that survived from the 2026 season alone.
Every living Kākāpō carries a small backpack radio transmitter, allowing the team to monitor its location and behaviour. Intensive management has historically included supplementary feeding, artificial incubation, health checks and moving eggs or chicks between nests.
“There is still a long road of recovery ahead, but ninety chicks in a single season is a record.”
Deidre Vercoe, Kākāpō Recovery operations manager
During 2026, the team trialled fewer checks of eggs and chicks, using remotely transmitted nest information to decide when intervention was necessary. Supplementary feeding was also reduced as the programme tested how more breeding could be left to the birds themselves.
Low genetic diversity, infertility and poor hatching success remain serious constraints. The expanding population also needs secure habitat free from introduced predators. Breeding groups are currently maintained on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island, Pukenui/Anchor Island and Te Kāhaku/Chalky Island.
Most of the modern population's founders came from Rakiura/Stewart Island. Conservationists hope that establishing a sufficiently large predator-free landscape there could eventually allow Kākāpō to live and breed with less intensive human management.
Population modelling suggests the next major breeding season may occur in 2028, although rimu fruiting ultimately determines the timing. The 2026 result represents a major milestone, but the species remains Critically Endangered and dependent on long-term protection.
3 Sep 2026
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