Flash Forward is a show about possible (and not so possible) future scenarios. What would the warranty on a sex robot look like? How would diplomacy work if we couldn’t lie? Could there ever be a fecal transplant black market? (Complicated, it wouldn’t, and yes, respectively, in case you’re curious.) Hosted and produced by award winning science journalist Rose Eveleth, each episode combines audio drama and journalism to go deep on potential tomorrows, and uncovers what those futures might re ...
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RNZ에서 제공하는 콘텐츠입니다. 에피소드, 그래픽, 팟캐스트 설명을 포함한 모든 팟캐스트 콘텐츠는 RNZ 또는 해당 팟캐스트 플랫폼 파트너가 직접 업로드하고 제공합니다. 누군가가 귀하의 허락 없이 귀하의 저작물을 사용하고 있다고 생각되는 경우 여기에 설명된 절차를 따르실 수 있습니다 https://ko.player.fm/legal.
Kākāpō Files와 비슷한 콘텐츠
Come dive into one of the curiously delightful conversations overheard at National Geographic’s headquarters, as we follow explorers, photographers, and scientists to the edges of our big, weird, beautiful world. Hosted by Peter Gwin and Amy Briggs.
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DNA science. Artificial intelligence. Smartphones and 3D printers. Science and technology have transformed the world we live in. But how did we get here? It wasn’t by accident. Well, sometimes it was. It was also the result of hard work, teamwork, and competition. And incredibly surprising moments. Hosted by bestselling author Steven Johnson (“How We Got To Now”), American Innovations uses immersive scenes to tell the stories of the scientists, engineers, and ordinary people behind the great ...
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The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe is a weekly science podcast discussing the latest science news, critical thinking, bad science, conspiracies and controversies. -The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: Your escape to reality - Produced by SGU Productions, LLC: https://www.theskepticsguide.org
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Welcome to Curiosity Weekly from Discovery, hosted by Dr. Samantha Yammine. Once a week, we’ll bring you the latest and greatest in scientific discoveries and break down the details so that you don’t need a PhD to understand it. From neuroscience to climate tech to AI and genetics, no subject is off-limits. Join Sam as she interviews expert guests and investigates the research guiding some of the most exciting scientific breakthroughs affecting our world today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com ...
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We humans could have a bright future ahead of us that lasts billions of years. But we have to survive the next 200 years first. Join Josh Clark of Stuff You Should Know for a 10-episode deep dive that explores the future of humanity and finds dangers we have never encountered before lurking just ahead. And if we humans are alone in the universe, if we don't survive intelligent life dies out with us too.
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Join Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, Lucy Smith and their scientific guests, with a bunch of curious triple j listeners for a weekly injection of science, myth-bashing and answers!
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The kickass science and technology radio show that delivers an irreverent look at the week in science and technology.
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Whether the topic is popcorn or particle physics, you can count on BrainStuff to explore -- and explain -- the everyday science in the world around us.
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Science Friction's latest series is: Brain Rot. We're looking at what being chronically online is doing to our brains. What's really going on with our attention spans and tech addiction? Is data-dumping your entire life into ChatGPT helpful? Can going internet free help you escape the doomscroll? And what's it like to be in love ... with an AI? National technology reporter Ange Lavoipierre tackles the wildest ways people are using tech and the big questions about our own use. That's Brain Ro ...
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The So What from BCG
Justin Manly, BCG’s lead on growth and innovation, explains how businesses can choose the right growth strategy given their aspirations and position in the market. Whether a company is gaining or losing share, in a booming or sluggish industry, profitable growth depends on knowing your starting point. Learn More: Justin Manly: https://on.bcg.com/4kGYyPH BCG’s Latest Thinking on Growth and Innovation Analytics: https://on.bcg.com/4kjTEIB BCG’s Latest Thinking on Corporate Finance and Strategy: https://on.bcg.com/3ZeAMlX Your Growth Strategy Depends on Your Starting Point: https://on.bcg.com/43YpzZm The Vitality Code: How Growth Leaders Master Strategy, Technology, People, and Culture: https://on.bcg.com/4dMKjH1 This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp…
Kākāpō Files
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RNZ에서 제공하는 콘텐츠입니다. 에피소드, 그래픽, 팟캐스트 설명을 포함한 모든 팟캐스트 콘텐츠는 RNZ 또는 해당 팟캐스트 플랫폼 파트너가 직접 업로드하고 제공합니다. 누군가가 귀하의 허락 없이 귀하의 저작물을 사용하고 있다고 생각되는 경우 여기에 설명된 절차를 따르실 수 있습니다 https://ko.player.fm/legal.
An adventure through the bumpy bumper 2019 breeding season of NZ's rare flightless parrot.
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Manage series 2490871
RNZ에서 제공하는 콘텐츠입니다. 에피소드, 그래픽, 팟캐스트 설명을 포함한 모든 팟캐스트 콘텐츠는 RNZ 또는 해당 팟캐스트 플랫폼 파트너가 직접 업로드하고 제공합니다. 누군가가 귀하의 허락 없이 귀하의 저작물을 사용하고 있다고 생각되는 경우 여기에 설명된 절차를 따르실 수 있습니다 https://ko.player.fm/legal.
An adventure through the bumpy bumper 2019 breeding season of NZ's rare flightless parrot.
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Kākāpō Files
Claire Concannon and Dr Andrew Digby talk about all things kākāpō: that habitat trial and where the birds are now, the next breeding season, and Andrew’s hopes for the future of this iconic manu. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
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Kākāpō Files
In July 2023 four male kākāpō were released into the fenced Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari – part of a new habitat trial to investigate suitable locations for the growing kākāpō population. But after a further six were introduced, the kākāpō began to wander – beyond the fence. A year on, and several escapes later, what’s been learned? And what’s next for kākāpō in Maungatautari? There are plenty of night-time wanderers in New Zealand that you might expect to come across driving on back roads – rats, mice, a seemingly endless number of possums. But it’s not often that you round a corner to come face to face with a kākāpō. Elwin’s escapade This was the surprising sight that faced Tyler James Lindsay very early one morning in January 2024. A Cambridge local, Tyler was driving a milk tanker along Scott Road, northeast of Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, when suddenly he saw before him a strange shape. “Just a big green bird. Just in the middle of the road looking straight at my lights, I think it was rather confused,” he says. Luckily, Tyler is into native birds, so he was aware that kākāpō had been introduced to the fenced sanctuary six months earlier. He knew exactly what he was looking at. The next day, Tyler’s report made its way to Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari kākāpō ranger Dan Howie, who quickly began the search for the elusive Elwin. “Such an incredible interaction that he saw this bird out there – in the middle of the road no less – which is absolutely terrifying as kākāpō ranger,” says Dan. But this was not the first time, nor the last, that Dan would feel that fear. The habitat trial Kākāpō numbers are growing. In 1995 there were just 51 kākāpō and the threat of losing them forever was all too real. A decade ago, around the time that Dr Andrew Digby joined the Kākāpō Recovery team, there were just over 120 kākāpō. Today there are 247. Intensive management and three quite successful breeding seasons have enabled this doubling of kākāpō numbers in the last 10 years. Initially, the challenge was to save the charismatic, flightless parrots from extinction. Now, the team also has an added challenge: where to put them. To date, the majority of kākāpō have lived on offshore predator-free islands in the rohe of Ngāi Tahu – Whenua Hou / Codfish Island next to Rakiura / Stewart Island, and Pukenui / Anchor Island in Fiordland. But these islands are getting full… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
Coming soon to RNZ Podcasts is the new series Voice of Tangaroa, exploring the state of our oceans, and the extraordinary variety of life that calls it home. Released weekly from Thursday 29 February, you can find the episodes in the Voice of Tangaroa or Our Changing World podcast feed wherever you get your podcasts. Voice of Tangaroa is a joint production between RNZ's Our Changing World and New Zealand Geographic. Reporting for this series is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air. You can learn more and read the articles for free at www.nzgeo.com/seas Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
Alison Ballance joins the kākāpō recovery team on Pukenui Anchor Island to hear how the 2021/2022 kākāpō breeding season is going. It's been very quiet on the kākāpō front for the last two years, but this year is another big one for the rare bird. In 2019, the endangered flightless night parrot had its largest breeding season on record, as recounted in the RNZ podcast series the Kākāpō Files and Voice of the Kākāpō. After a rollercoaster ride of successes and setbacks, 72 chicks fledged, temporarily boosting the kākāpō population to 213 birds. Since then, there has been a slow attrition due to deaths of both old and young birds, which saw this breeding season kick off with 201 birds. Most importantly, this number included 57 females of breeding age, which are spread across three southern kākāpō islands: Pukenui-Anchor Island (in Fiordland), Te Kakahu-Chalky Island (also in Fiordland) and Whenua Hou-Codfish Island (near Stewart Island). Forty six of those females have bred this year, laying a grand total of 139 eggs. By autumn, 57 chicks out of the 60 that hatched were doing well, most of them being raised by their mothers or foster mothers. In previous breeding seasons many chicks have been hand-reared, but Deidre Vercoe, manager of DOC's Kākāpō Recovery Programme, says that this year the team was taking a more hands-off approach. This meant no double clutching, and most eggs were left to hatch in nests rather than in incubators. There is now a much greater reliance on technology to allow remote monitoring, with every bird wearing a smart radio transmitter that sends information about the wearer to a centralised computer database. Te Kakahu-Chalky island is the most hands-off breeding island, and indications from activity records being sent remotely from the three nesting mothers suggests they are still raising the island's three chicks. Aspergillosis outbreak Unfortunately, the onset of autumn marked a bit of a turning point in the breeding season. After a period of hot dry weather in Fiordland, the female Jemma, on Pukenui Island, died from aspergillosis. This fungal disease can be deadly, with nine kākāpō dying from it in the 2019 breeding season, although a number of other kākāpō were successfully treated. A second Pukenui female, Roha, has since been diagnosed with severe aspergillosis and is fighting for her life at Auckland Zoo. Some chicks are at the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital being treated for aspergillosis as well as injuries such as broken legs… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
A deadly fungal disease strikes the kākāpō population on Whenua Hou and the Kākāpō Recovery team calls on New Zealand wildlife vets to help. In April 2019, disaster struck the kākāpō population. There was an outbreak of the deadly fungal disease aspergillosis, which would eventually kill two adult females and seven chicks. But against expectations, veterinary experts were able to nurse many birds back to health. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
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Kākāpō Files
The youngest kākāpō chick has passed 150 days old, bringing the number of living juveniles to 71 and the overall kākāpō population to 213, in episode 24 of the Kākāpō Files. The kākāpō population has reached a new high of 213 birds, following the largest breeding season on record. This is a significant increase from the 147 birds that were alive at the beginning of the season. The new total includes a record-breaking 71 juvenile birds. Department of Conservation's Kākāpō Recovery Team scientist Dr Andrew Digby says: "there are probably more kākāpō alive today than at any time in the past 70 years." Kākāpō Recovery manager Deidre Vercoe says the next challenge will be to find new predator-free homes for the giant endangered parrots, as the two main breeding islands are at capacity. The 2018-2019 kākāpō breeding season has been one for the record books in many ways. It kicked off in December 2018 with the earliest mating on record, and by the time mating ended in April it was also the longest breeding season. Breeding occurred on two of the three kākāpō islands - Whenua Hou / Codfish Island and Anchor Island, where every adult female except one bred. Overall, 253 eggs were laid, although only 86 hatched, due to high levels of infertility and early embryo deaths. Of those 86, 72 reached 150 days old, which is when they are considered to have graduated from being a chick to a juvenile. Stella-3-B was the last chick to reach the 150-day milestone on 17 September. Juveniles will not be counted as adults until they reach breeding age, at five years old. Number of aspergillosis deaths rises to 8 The current total of living juveniles is now 71, following the unexpected death last week of Margaret-Maree-2-B. A post-mortem showed he had died from aspergillosis, despite receiving an all-clear from the vets when an earlier CT scan showed no sign of the disease. Kākāpō scientist Andrew Digby says they are investigating closely, to try and find out whether the medical check-up had missed a small infection or whether the juvenile contracted the deadly fungal disease after the check-up. He says the latter scenario would be very concerning, as all infections to date were associated with infected nests. Margaret-Maree-2-B was one of three chicks conceived by artificial insemination. Nora-3-B, whose father is the Fiordland male Sinbad, is the only one of these three still alive. The death of Margaret-Maree-2-B brings the total number of kākāpō killed by aspergillosis to 8, including adult females Huhana and Hoki, as well as six chicks… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
The kākāpō chicks are graduating to being juveniles and only seven birds are still sick with aspergillosis, in episode 23 of the Kākāpō Files. Forty-two of this year's kākāpō chicks have graduated to being juveniles. They pass this milestone when they reach 150 days old. A further 30 chicks will reach the juvenile stage over the coming weeks. Eight kākāpō chicks have been cured of aspergillosis, and will soon be returned to the wild. Daryl Eason from the Kākāpō Recovery Team at the Department of Conservation says there are still 18 birds being treated at various wildlife hospitals. Eight of these will soon be discharged, seven are still being treated for the fungal disease aspergillosis, and a further five are being treated for noon-aspergillosis related conditions. Alice-3-A was one of the first kākāpō chicks to be diagnosed with aspergillosis in May, and at the time she was diagnosed with multiple granulomas, which are walled-off areas of fungal infection. She has responded well to treatment, and her lungs and respiratory system are now clear of infection. Auckland Zoo vet James Chatterton told Daryl that he is amazed, as he has never encountered a bird with audible respiratory problems of this intensity that has recovered. Ra-2-B was found on Anchor Island with one leg caught in the fork of a tree, leading to severe dislocation and loss of circulation to that leg. She is being treated at the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital, and although her circulation has been mostly restored she may lose several toes. Daryl says it will be some time before the skin recovers and it becomes clear whether the tendons will recover from the trauma. Queenie-3-A, who had a broken leg, has now fully recovered and will be returned to the wild soon. Daryl reports that some juveniles, such as Suzanne-3-A, are now fully independent in the wild, have left their mothers and siblings and are ranging widely as they explore the islands. He says the final official tally of how many chicks were produced in this year's breeding won't happen until everyone has been discharged from the vet hospitals. Gadget the rodent detector dog The story about conservation dog Gadget first played on Our Changing World. It was recorded on Whenua Hou and highlights the efforts that go into keeping pests off New Zealand's conservation islands. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
Paternity testing has revealed who the top kākāpō dads are, as well as the success of the artificial insemination programme, in episode 22 of the Kākāpō Files. Artificial insemination (AI) of kākāpō has succeeded for the first time in a decade, and the Kākāpō Recovery Team at the Department of Conservation is very happy with the results. Paternity testing has revealed that five eggs were successfully fertilised with inseminated sperm from three males, although two eggs died as early embryos and one chick died at just a few days old. There are two surviving AI chicks, one of which is fathered by Sinbad, a male containing rare Fiordland genes which contribute important genetic diversity to a threatened species that has low genetic diversity overall. Paternity testing has also revealed that two young males are star performers in what has been a record-breaking breeding season: Komaru and Horton have each fathered ten chicks. Seven months after the largest kākāpō breeding season on record got off to a racing start, we finally have an answer to an outstanding question: who some of the kākāpō dads are. Many female kākāpō mate with two and even three males, and in these cases genetic testing has to be used to determine who has fathered the chicks. It is also necessary to use genetic testing to determine fatherhood in the case of females who were inseminated with donor sperm after they had mated naturally. The paternity testing is carried out by Agresearch using a process called genotyping by sequencing, drawing on genetic markers developed for kākāpō by Professor Bruce Robertson at the University of Otago. Artificial insemination results The kākāpō team, with help from German experts from the University of Giesen, carried out 15 artificial inseminations on 13 different females, and succeeded with three females. Nora was successfully inseminated with Sinbad's sperm and two of her three fertile eggs were fathered by him (her third egg was fathered by Tutuko in a natural mating). Nora-1-B unfortunately died a few days after hatching. Nora 3-B is still alive but he is currently being treated for an aspergillosis infection. Cyndy was successfully fertilised with sperm from founder male Merv, but the two fertile eggs died when they were about eight days old. Margaret-Maree has an AI male chick fathered by Stumpy. More interesting AI results As well as revealing who the father is in cases of multiple matings, paternity testing has revealed some unusual results. Tumeke mated with both Te Atapo and Boss, and for the first time ever in a natural clutch the chicks have mixed parentage: one chick was fathered by Boss and three by Te Atapo… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
The kākāpō health crisis is stable, with no further cases of aspergillosis diagnosed, and seven hand-reared chicks have been successfully released in the wild, in episode 21 of the Kākāpō Files. Seven hand-reared kākāpō chicks have been released into the wild on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island, where they are doing well. They are the oldest kākāpō chicks from this bumper breeding season. There are currently 72 living kākāpō chicks. There are no new deaths in the aspergillosis disease outbreak which has claimed the lives of two adults and five chicks. Staff from the Kākāpō Recovery Programme at the Department of Conservation and zoo vets around the country are playing a waiting game, as a number of chicks and adults continue to be treated for the severe infection. DOC is increasingly confident that they have identified all sick birds, as growing numbers of kākāpō mums sent to vet hospitals for CT scans are returning to Whenua Hou with clean bills of health. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
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Kākāpō Files
Kākāpō death toll from aspergillosis rises by one to seven, while nine birds have been given a clean bill of health. Sad and positive news from the frontline of the fight to save kākāpō, in episode 20 of the Kākāpō Files. The death toll from the aspergillosis health crisis in the kākāpō population has risen to seven, but nine birds suspected of having the fungal disease have been given the all-clear. Deidre Vercoe, manager of the Department of Conservation's Kākāpō Recovery team, says she is delighted with the good news that the nine birds are healthy and will shortly be returned to the wild. The most recent kākāpō death happened yesterday during a medical procedure at Auckland Zoo as part of chick Nora-1-A's treatment for a severe case of aspergillosis. In response to the health crisis, kākāpō fans around the world have responded by donating more than NZ$100,000 to an 'aspergillosis fund". The first case of aspergillosis in the kākāpō population was detected in late April, and since then 36 birds have been sent to veterinary hospitals around the country for diagnosis and treatment. James Chatterton, veterinary manager at the New Zealand Centre for Conservation Medicine at Auckland Zoo, say the situation is still " very dynamic," and while many birds appear to have respiratory lesions in their lungs it is still not clear whether all of them have aspergillosis or whether other infections might be involved. The seven deaths from the disease so far include two adult females, Hoki and Huhana, along with five chicks. Seventeen kākāpō are currently being treated for aspergillosis, while a further two chicks are waiting for a diagnosis. This includes two adult females, Margaret-Maree and Cyndy, that have been diagnosed with severe aspergillosis, while adult females Ihi and Weheruatanga-o-te-Po have a borderline diagnosis The healthy birds that have been given a clean bill of health are the adult female Pounamu, four chicks from Anchor Island and a further four from Whenua Hou, including Roha-3-A who was sent to Massey University's Wildbase Hospital for testing just last week. Deidre says she hopes this means they are seeing the limits of the infection amongst birds, "which would be encouraging." The total population of kākāpō is currently 142 adults and 72 living chicks. Donations pouring in Deidre says she is overwhelmed that kākāpō fans from around the world have responded to the current health crisis by donating more than NZ$100,000 to an 'aspergillosis fund.' "It's a pretty fantastic response."… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
The number of cases of aspergillosis in the kākāpō population continues to rise, with 30 birds on the mainland for testing & treatment. The deaths of Huhana and Merty drop the adult population to 142, in episode 19 of the Kākāpō Files. The number of cases of aspergillosis in the kākāpō population continues to rise. The fungal disease has already caused the deaths of two adult females and three chicks, and it has now been confirmed in a further two adult females and six chicks. Twenty two kākāpō are already in veterinary hospitals for testing and treatment of aspergillosis as well as other medical conditions, and they are about to be joined by a further eight birds from Whenua Hou / Codfish Island. The disease continues to be confined to Whenua Hou. Four chicks from Anchor Island are in treatment but do not have aspergillosis. The adult kākāpō population has dropped to 142 birds, following the death of 10-year-old Huhana, while the founder male Merty has been declared dead after not being seen for five years. There are 73 living chicks. The adult females Hoki and Huhana have already died from aspergillosis, while Weheruatanga-O-Te-Po and Margaret-Maree have been confirmed with the disease. A number of chicks, including Nora-1-A and Pura-1-B, have also been confirmed with the fungal infection. The female Pounamu has tested negative for aspergillosis. Four chicks from Anchor island that were sent to Massey University's Wildbase Hospital with suspected aspergillosis following unexplained weight loss have been CT scanned and are negative for the disease. The founder male Merv is being sent off Whenua Hou for ophthalmological treatment for suspected cataracts in both eyes. The six youngest chicks that were still in nests on Whenua Hou have been brought into a pen for hand-rearing, in an effort to remove them from nests that may contain high numbers of aspergillosis spores following a warm, wet autumn. Update 3 JUNE The founder female Cyndy and a further four chicks have been sent to the mainland with suspected aspergillosis, bringing the number of birds in treatment to 35. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
A spate of kākāpō chicks deaths from a fungal pneumonia caused by aspergillosis has DOC's Kākāpō Recovery Team very worried. Two further adult deaths bring the population to 144 birds with 73 living chicks, all in episode 18 of the Kākāpō Files. The fungal disease aspergillosis has caused the deaths of three kākāpō chicks in the past week. This is in addition to an adult kākāpō which died from the same disease just over two weeks ago. The fearsome fungus has the Department of Conservation's Kākāpō Recovery Team and wildlife vets around the world scrambling to understand what is causing the outbreak, which is unprecedented for the rare parrot. A further chick and two adult males have also died from other causes in the past fortnight, dropping the kākāpō population to 144 adults and 73 living chicks. Five kākāpō are currently at Auckland Zoo for investigation and treatment for possible aspergillosis. These include the adult female Weheruatanga-o-te-po and the chick Awarua-3-A. Auckland Zoo vets carried out CT scans on four of these birds yesterday and are currently waiting for a veterinary radiology specialist in the United States to read the scans. Auckland Zoo vet Dr James Chatterton, from the New Zealand Centre for Conservation Medicine, says that spores of the aspergillus fungus are ubiquitous in the environment, and only become a problem in stressed and immunocompromised animals. However, the number of chicks succumbing to the disease after sharing a nest with other infected birds is causing alarm amongst wildlife vets and the Kākāpō Conservation team. The problem is confined to Whenua Hou Island. There were initial concerns that artificial nest boxes might be contributing to the problem, but it is most prevalent in natural nest cavities. The adult female Hoki was the first kākāpō to succumb to the disease. Since then, three chicks have also died from aspergillosis: Bella-2-A, Tumeke-4-A and Queenie-4-A. Daryl Eason says all three chicks "were looking very good until very close to death, and they've all died from aspergillosis." Aspergillosis is a very difficult disease to treat, says James Chatterton. "One of the many frustrating problems when we're dealing with fungal infections in birds, is that often by the time the bird shows that it's sick, so by the time it looks lethargic and it's got breathing problems, often by then it's far too late to actually cure it," says James. "And diagnosing it before the bird looks sick is extremely difficult." Chick Waikawa-4-B also died this week, and Daryl says her death was not due to aspergillosis and "was an absolute mystery."… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
The death of Hoki from a fungal infection brings the number of adult kākāpō to 146, while there are 77 chicks. Episode 17 of the Kākāpō Files includes a visit to Anchor Island & all the latest news. There is good news as well as sad news from the kākāpō islands. Hoki, the first hand-reared kākāpō, has died from a fungal infection, while a surprise third nest from the female Solstice boosted overall egg numbers to 252. Of 86 kākāpō chicks that hatched this breeding season, 77 are still alive. Of the 73 chicks that have been sexed, there are 35 females and 38 males. There is a wide age range of chicks: the youngest chicks are less than two weeks old, while the oldest chicks are fledging and leaving their nests. The latest numbers With the sad loss of 27-year-old female Hoki, the adult kākāpō population is now 146 birds. Hoki died from a severe aspergillosis fungal infection in her lungs. Hoki's foster chick Bella-1-A also succumbed to an aspergillosis infection. A surprise third nest from Solstice, discovered on Easter Friday, brought the total number of eggs laid this season to 252. Unfortunately the three eggs were all infertile. One hundred and eighteen eggs were fertile, and 86 chicks hatched. There are currently 77 chicks alive. Seventy three chicks have been sexed, and there are 38 males and 35 females. Of the chicks with Fiordland genes, Kuia's second clutch are males, while Gulliver and Suzanne's clutch includes one female and two males. There is a wide age range of chicks. Sixteen of the oldest chicks have fledged and left their nests, while the youngest chicks, from Stella's second clutch, are still less than two weeks old. The eight hand-reared chicks are currently in weaning pens on Whenua Hou, learning how to survive in the bush. Four chicks and the adult male Arab are currently receiving vet care at Auckland Zoo and the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital. Medical news Chick Queenie-3-A has been taken off Anchor Island as it is experiencing issues with the leg that it broke when it was three days old. Waikawa-4-B is being treated for a respiratory issue. Esperance-1-B has had brain surgery to treat the brain hernia where its skull plates hadn't joined properly. Auckland Zoo vets are still deciding what to do with the damaged eye of the adult male Arab. Update 2 May 2019 The death of the founder male Arab, from surgical complications, brings the adult kākāpō population to 145. DOC's Kākāpō Recovery Programme senior technical officer says that the female Solstice is now fostering the chick Kuihi=3-B. This is the first time she has raised a chick and Daryl says she is feeding it well… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
With 75 living chicks and the final three eggs due to hatch this week, the 2019 kākāpō breeding season is set to be the longest on record. The number of living kākāpō chicks has risen to 75, with the final three due to hatch this week. The oldest chicks are already beginning to leave their nests at night although they are still returning to sleep there during the day. Daryl Eason, from the Department of Conservation's Kākāpō Recovery team, says that the sex ratio of the first 49 chicks to be tested is 22 females and 27 males. The technique for determining the gender of kākāpō, using either a small blood sample or tiny amounts of membrane left in the eggshell after hatching, was developed by Associate Professor Bruce Robertson at the University of Otago. This season, a genomics team at Agresearch is carrying out the DNA analyses to determine both gender and paternity of all the chicks. Jeanne Jacobs says the team is currently determining the paternity of the chicks, which will prove whether any of the artificial insemination attempts have been successful. The scientists will also determine the gender of the remaining chicks. As well as analysing living chicks, sex and paternity is also determined for dead chicks and failed fertile eggs. The long breeding season The first chick of the 2019 breeding season hatched on 30 January, and with the final one due to hatch this Friday 19 April, this breeding season will hold the records for both the earliest start and latest end to a breeding season. Scientist Andrew Digby says the extended breeding season is the result of a large number of females renesting. The total number of chicks hatched so far in this year's bumper kākāpō breeding season is 83, and if three eggs due to hatch this week are successful it will bring the total number of chicks for this breedign season to 86. The remaining eggs were laid by Stella, who was the last female to mate. There have been 8 chick deaths. The most recent chick death is Pura-3-A, who died suddenly. Cause of death is still being determined, but appears to be liver failure. Two of the chicks in Hoki's nest have been moved to other nests after their growth rates slowed down. Hoki herself now weighs less than a kilogram, while her three chicks together weighed four kilograms, and Daryl Eason says she was probably just struggling to feed them. The kākāpō team will be giving her a health check and hope that she will be able to cope with her one remaining foster chick. Leaving home The first wild kākāpō chicks on Anchor Island are beginning to explore away from the nest at night, although they return during the day to sleep… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
Most of the 72 kākāpō chicks are thriving in wild nests, the males are winding down their booming, and there are 7 fertile eggs still to hatch. Ripe rimu fruits carpet the trees and ground on Whenua Hou and Anchor islands, and most of the 72 living kākāpō chicks are in wild nests, where they are being well-fed by their foster mums. The chicks are putting on lots of weight and are well above average on the kākāpō 'Plunket' charts. Deidre Vercoe, manager of the Kākāpō Recovery Team from the Department of Conservation, says a grand total of 249 eggs were laid in this bumper kākāpō season. "It's a staggering number," says Deidre. The total number of chicks hatched so far in this year's bumper kākāpō breeding season is 79, and there have been seven chick deaths. There are still seven fertile eggs, which are due to hatch between now and Easter. Deidre says she is "very happy with where we are at the moment." Five kākāpō mums are raising clutches of three chicks, and most other nests have two chicks. Queenie-3-A, the chick that had a broken leg, has completely healed and is being returned to a wild nest on Anchor Island. Eight chicks are being hand-reared in Invercargill. Kākāpō scientist Andrew Digby says that male kākāpō are still booming but are beginning to wind down. He says the males are starting to scrap amongst themselves, and he hears a lot of skrarking at night. Our Changing World kākāpō stories: What kākāpō genes can tell us Kākāpō sperm collection and artificial insemination in the 2009 breeding season The discovery of the ‘lost’ kākāpō Rangi and the frozen sperm bank , from the 2009 breeding season Science in kākāpō management , from the 2009 breeding season Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
Kākāpō chick numbers continue to climb. The latest tally is 64 chicks, including one named Kotahitanga, meaning unity and solidarity. The number of living kākāpō chicks has risen to 64, with plenty more due to hatch in the next few days. Among the chicks is one that hatched early in the morning of Saturday 16 March 2019, the day after the mass terror shooting in Christchurch. The Kākāpō Recovery Team has named that chick Kotahitanga, meaning unity or solidarity. Kotahitanga's mother is eight-year-old Waikawa, who has laid an incredible eight fertile eggs this breeding season, adding to four fertile eggs she laid in in the last breeding season in 2016. The total number of chicks hatched in this year's bumper kākāpō breeding season is 71, and there have been 7 chick deaths. As of early evening on 22 March, there are a further four eggs pipping and about to hatch. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
Thirty four kākāpō chicks are putting on plenty of weight in wild nests as the rimu fruit ripens, and 23 chicks are also being hand-reared, in episode 13 of the Kākāpō Files. This year's kākāpō breeding season has broken all records, with 239 eggs laid and more on the way. One hundred and ten eggs are known to be fertile, and a further 10 eggs will have their fertility confirmed in the next few days. Deidre Vercoe, manager of the Department of Conservation's Kākāpō Recovery Programme, says that there are currently 57 chicks alive, out of 61 that have hatched. Thirty four chicks are with wild mothers in nests on both Whenua Hou / Codfish Island and on Anchor Island, and the remaining 23 chicks are in a hand-rearing facility in Invercargill. Deidre Vercoe says that the ground on Anchor Island, in Fiordland's Dusky Sound, is covered with ripe rimu fruit falling off the trees above, which is providing plenty of food for the chicks. Kākāpō Recovery Programme scientist Andrew Digby says that the 34 kākāpō chicks that have been fostered to wild mothers are thriving, and their weights are trending well above average for their ages. Rimu fruit is so abundant on Anchor island, where some of the chicks are already a month old, that most kākāpō mums have been given two chicks to raise. Hauturu is currently managing to feed three chicks, and Andrew says that it's probably the first time in more than a century that anyone has seen a female kākāpō in a nest with three chicks. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
Volunteers from around the world are helping the kākāpō team, with tasks ranging from feeding birds and people, looking after the power system on Whenua Hou and studying kākāpō sperm. We meet them in episode 12 of the Kākāpō Files. Volunteers are coming from around the world to help with the largest kākāpō breeding season on record. As the rimu fruit begins to ripen wild kākāpō mothers are being given chicks to look after. And the egg tally has risen to 223, with 53 living chicks - and still more on the way. Saving kākāpō is an international effort, with volunteers and visiting experts helping out in various ways. Electrician Reuben's usual day job is looking after hydropower stations for the Kākāpō Recovery Programme's sponsor Meridian Energy. But a couple of times a year he downsizes and heads to Whenua Hou / Codfish Island to give its power system a health check. The electricity generation system has evolved over many years and includes a diesel generator, a mini hydro scheme and solar panels. The electricity is vital for running egg incubators and chick brooders, so Reuben has to keep the system running while he fixes and repairs and improves things. He likens it to trying to do a service on car while it is full of passengers and driving at a hundred kilometres an hour on the open road. Feeding the birds Ian and Mark live in Bristol in the UK but flew - at their own expense - to New Zealand for the opportunity to help out with the kākāpō supplementary feeding programme for 10 days. Each kākāpō gets a personalised meal plan with a certain amount of parrot pellets. The task of the feed-out volunteers is to prepare the food, then deliver it around the island to each bird's feeding station. They remove any uneaten food, clean the feeding station and replace the freshwater. Each bird gets fed every few days. Feeding the people Shrike is an Australian who was keen to be involved in this kākāpō breeding season but didn't think she was up to the feed-out role. So instead of feeding birds she has volunteered to be cook and has the job of feeding all the people on the island, which can number around 16. Shrike says she has to deal with a range of dietary requirements, get dinner on the table in time for people to head up the hill for the night shift while it is still light. She also gets the opportunity to help out the kākāpō team in the field. Sperm experts Helena and Andi are part of a team of four sperm experts from Germany who have been part of the assisted breeding programme. They help collect sperm from male kākāpō and artificially inseminate the females… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
There is a hard-working team of island rangers helping save kākāpō, working day and night, and the chick tally has reached 44, in episode 11 of the Kākāpō Files. Well over 200 eggs have been laid and 46 chicks are alive in the largest kākāpō breeding season on record. It is also the earliest and longest breeding season, and the Kākāpō Recovery Team at the Department of Conservation says the end is not yet in sight. In this episode of the Kākāpō Files we chat with some of the busy island rangers, and discover that their jobs are numerous and varied. The logistics of moving teams of people to and from remote islands includes booking helicopter and fixed wing flights, and walking the beach runway on Whenua Hou to mark out the safest landing route. Keeping everyone well fed involves ordering hundreds of kilos of fresh food each week. Bulk dried and tinned goods, along with diesel for the generator and coal for the fire were delivered in a bulk supply run before the breeding season began. Rangers oversee the delivery of supplementary food to breeding birds, carry gear and set up tents and electronic equipment at kākāpō nests, collect information about all the birds and enter it in the database. While some rangers work at nests at night to candle eggs for fertility, or foster chicks to kākāpō mums, one ranger - the nest controller - remains at the hut to oversee all the information gathered by surveillance equipment deployed at most nests. This information is all relayed through a specially developed piece of software known as the Train Station. The latest news on eggs and chicks As of 1 March 2019, 217 kākāpō eggs have been laid, on both Anchor Island and Whenua Hou/Codfish Island. Mating continues and eggs continue to be laid. Ninety six eggs are fertile and 48 chicks have hatched to date. This is one more than the previous best of 47, set in 2016. Two chicks have died, and a further two chicks died during hatching. There are 46 chicks alive, being hand-raised in four different locations: Dunedin Wildlife Hospital, a special rearing unit in Invercargill, and on Anchor Island and Whenua Hou. Growing numbers of chicks are being fostered to wild kākāpō mothers. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
In a world-first for kākāpō conservation, a drone (nicknamed the 'spermcopter') has flown kākāpō sperm across Whenua Hou / Codfish Island - the Kākāpō Files was there for episode 10. In a world-first for kākāpō conservation, the Department of Conservation's Kākāpō Recovery Team has used a drone to fly the flightless bird's sperm across Whenua Hou/Codfish Island. The sperm, collected from the male kākāpō Arab and Stumpy was flown by the well-nicknamed 'spermcopter' and then used to artificially inseminate the female Esperance. Kākāpō manager Deidre Vercoe says that she is delighted that the sperm delivery worked, and says it speeds up the process of artificial insemination (AI), hopefully increasing its effectiveness. She says that it can up to several hours to walk from where the sperm is collected to where it is needed, whereas the drone can deliver it in less than 10 minutes. This helps ensure the sperm is fresher when it is used in AI. Scientist Andrew Digby says that the Kākāpō Recovery Team has been using AI for more than a decade. Three chicks were successfully fathered by AI in one breeding season, but the team has had less success in recent years. Andrew says there are several reasons they use AI as a management tool. It allows them to genetically matchmake kākāpō, which is vital as the population descended from Stewart Island birds is very inbred. They are focusing, in particular, on using sperm from two birds with Fiordland heritage as they have a much more genetically diverse. He says that AI should also boost the likelihood that resulting eggs will be fertile. The fertility of eggs laid by a female who has mated several times with different males is significantly better than females that mate once with a single male. The Kākāpō Recovery team reports that it has carried out 11 artificial inseminations during this breeding season, but it won't know if it has been successful until paternity tests are carried out in a few months. The latest news on eggs and chicks As of 21 February 2019, 189 kākāpō eggs have been laid (90 on Anchor Island and 98 on Whenua Hou). Of those, 83 have been fertile, and the fertility of a further 12 is still waiting confirmation. Nineteen eggs have died before hatching. Thirty eight chicks have hatched, and after one death 37 chicks are still alive. Twenty six viable eggs are yet to hatch. Ten females have nested for a second time, after their first clutches were taken to be incubated artificially. The first chick from the second round of mating, Pearl-2-B, has already hatched. Pearl was the first female to mate in mid-December and the first to re-mate… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
There is good news from down south, where the endangered kākāpō is having its best breeding season ever. No one is game enough to predict exactly how many chicks might make it to adulthood, but the numbers look promising. Kākāpō Files producer Alison Ballance has just been down to Whenua Hou/Codfish Island to check on the action. There is good news from down south, where the endangered kākāpō is having its best breeding season ever. No one is game enough to predict exactly how many chicks might make it to adulthood, but the numbers look promising. To date, 170 eggs have been laid, and 30 chicks have hatched, with more on the way. One chick died at two days old, but the Department of Conservation's Deidre Vercoe says the rest are thriving. Vets from Auckland Zoo and the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital are helping out with hand-rearing most of the kākāpō chicks, although some have been returned to wild mothers after being being artificially incubated. Kākāpō Files producer Alison Ballance has just been down to Whenua Hou/Codfish Island to check on the action. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
More than 160 kākāpō eggs have been laid and the first 21 chicks have hatched, but there is also news of the first chick death, in episode 9 of the Kākāpō Files. The record-breaking kākāpō breeding season continues its bumper run. The number of eggs has reached 160, with more due to be laid as some female kākāpō begin to mate a second time. Seventy two of the 160 eggs were fertile, although some have died at the early embryo stage. Twenty one chicks have hatched - and that number increases by the day (and sometimes by the hour). One chick - Waa-4-A - died when it was just 36 hours. It was a small chick that took a long time to hatch and it failed to thrive. Five kākāpō chicks are being hand-reared at Dunedin Wildlife Hospital and they will shortly be joined by a further eight chicks that are currently being hand-reared on Whenua Hou. The Kākāpō Recovery team, from the Department of Conservation, are hard at work on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island and Anchor Island, managing a very busy kākāpō breeding season. Operations manager Deidre Vercoe says that their bold strategy of bringing eggs in for hand-rearing to encourage females to nest a second time is working. A number of females on Anchor Island - where breeding started a little earlier - have already mated and should begin nesting again soon. Female kākāpō on Whenua Hou have also begun breed a second time. A number of female kākāpō on Whenua Hou have been left to nest. Fertile eggs are still being removed for artificial incubation, to minimise any risks, but the females are given dummy eggs to incubate instead. These females will be given small chicks to rear after they have hatched in captivity. Technical officer Daryl Eason says they have lost a number of fertile eggs whose embryos have died. He says this is a common problem with kākāpō eggs and is to be expected. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
The chicks that have hatched are off to Dunedin, the females have started mating again, and there is breeding action on Hauturu, all in episode 8 of the Kākāpō Files. The Kākāpō Recovery team continue to be very busy. Seven... oh no, make that eight already... kākāpō chicks have hatched (and counting) and the first batch are heading to the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital to be hand-reared. The females on Anchor Island have begun mating again. And there is now breeding on three kākāpō islands, with Lisa the first female to mate on Hauturu/Little Barrier Island, near Auckland. Lisa - the story of a 'missing kākāpō' Lisa the kākāpō has a very interesting history. She is a founder bird from Stewart Island. She was first found as an adult in 1982, and then in 1992 she was moved to Hauturu / Little Barrier Island. Soon after her arrival her transmitter stopped working - and she disappeared. Kākāpō are really well designed for going off the radar - they have perfect camouflage to just blend into the forest. They hole up during the day to sleep, and they creep around at night minding their own business. Put them on top of a rugged island with lots of steep- sided, never-visited valleys and it is very easy for them to go undetected. Lisa became one of the missing kākāpō. Maybe dead but possibly still alive. In the late 1990s a decision was made to take all the kākāpō off Hauturu as they weren't being very successful at breeding. The plan was to concentrate all the females on Whenua Hou, so all the females had been removed, but not all the males. It was the summer of 1999 and the remaining males were booming. Then one day, the DOC ranger found kākāpō mating sign in Ox's bowl. Special kākāpō tracking dogs were brought in and eventually they found Lisa - on a nest - with three fertile eggs. Then just to make things even better all three hatched and were female. This was good news as at that time there were lots of male chicks. Her daughters are Ellie, Hauturu (after the island). and Aranga. Lisa was moved to Whenua Hou, and in two of the following breeding season Lisa was the first female into action, mating with Basil at Christmas. She has had six more offspring, including Tiwhiri. We've already heard about Tiwhiri in the Kākāpō Files, as she was one of the first females to mate on Anchor Island this season and she's the mum of one of the first batch of chicks. Grandmother Lisa is now back on Hauturu and has mated, probably with Jester. She mated with Jester in 2016 but laid infertile eggs so it'll be interesting to see what happens this year… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
The first two chicks of the 2019 kākāpō breeding season have hatched and the exciting news keeps coming in, in episode 7 of the Kākāpō Files. The first chicks of the 2019 kākāpō breeding season have hatched. The first kākāpō chick hatched at 8.30pm on the 30th January 2019. Its mother is Waikawa, and its father is probably Horton. It was conceived on Anchor Island and hatched in the incubator room on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island. The second chick hatched mid-afternoon on the 31st January. Its mother is Tiwhiri. By the end of January, 49 out of 50 kākāpō females on Anchor Island and Whenua Hou/Codfish Island had mated. Hoki, the first kākāpō to be hand-reared, is the latest female to mate, and only young Mahli, who is not quite 5-years-old, has not mated. All but 7 females have nested so far, and between them they have laid 136 eggs. This number will increase as more females nest and lay. Kākāpō scientist Andrew Digby reports that only 43 percent of the eggs have been fertile, which is less than usual. Infertility is thought to be due to high levels of inbreeding in the population. The Kākāpō Recovery Team is carrying out an assisted breeding programme to maximise genetic diversity, and Andrew reports that they have carried out artificial insemination on three females so far. Breaking news 1 February update: breeding has begun on Hauturu/Little Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf. Lisa has mated with Jester. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
Forty eight out of fifty kākāpō females on the southern islands have mated, nesting is well underway and the first AI has been carried out, all in episode 6 of the Kākāpō Files. It's nearly a full sweep on the southern kākāpō islands, with 48 out of 50 females having mated - a record number. All of the females on Anchor Island have nested, and on both Anchor and Whenua Hou the Kākāpō Recovery Team is bringing in eggs for hand rearing, in the hope that females will mate again. The Sperm Team has also begun work, collecting sperm from genetically desirable males to allow artificial insemination of some equally important females, giving the species a genetic helping hand. The kākāpō team is rushed off its feet, keeping up with the busy birds. It's a full house on Anchor Island, where all 21 females have mated - and nested. The egg tally there is a mighty 75, but so far only 19 of the eggs that have been checked have been found to be fertile. Some eggs are too young to determine whether they are fertile yet. The island rangers on Anchor Island are working to bring all the fertile eggs to the hut to be incubated, freeing females up for a second nesting attempt. On Whenua Hou/Codfish Island, 27 out of 29 females have mated so far. Hoki - the first kākāpō to be hand-reared, back in 1992 - has not mated yet, and neither has Mahli. Mahli is almost 5 years old, and very young, but her sister Tohu has just mated. The Whenua Hou rangers have so far brought 10 fertile eggs down to the hut, to be artificially incubated in the nursery Portacom next to the hut. Senior technical officer Daryl Eason and the Sperm Team have begun collecting sperm from males with desirable genetic traits. The sperm is used to artificially inseminate females, a job which can be undertaken about 3-7 days after a female has mated. Daryl says AI has several aims: the more times a female mates, the greater the likelihood that her eggs will be fertile. It is also an opportunity to pass on genes from the founder males which either haven't bred at all or have only produced a small number of chicks. So far, Daryl says they have collected a good sperm sample from Luke, a Stewart Island bird with no offspring. It has been used to artificially inseminate Jean, a Stewart Island female with only three offspring. Daryl reports that Gulliver, one of two males with desirable Fiordland genes, has just mated with two females on the same night, including Tohu. Update 28 January 2019 Hoki has mated, bringing the number of females who have mated to 49 out of 50. So far, 119 eggs have been laid. Of these, 36 are fertile, 64 are infertile and 19 have yet to have their fertility confirmed. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
The most popular kākāpō males will get a chance to do it all over again as the females are encouraged to mate and nest for a second time, in episode 5 of the Kākāpō Files. How are the male kākāpō measuring up in the popularity stakes with the females? Young male Tākitimu is super-stud of the year... so far. And the Kākāpō Recovery Team from the Department of Conservation are going to try a radical approach to making as many kākāpō babies as possible - they'll hand-rear the first batch of chicks and hope the females nest again. Being courageous and inventive has helped the Kākāpō Recovery Team increase the kākāpō population from 51 birds to 147 birds in just over 20 years, and they are out to make the most of this bumper breeding season. Manager Deidre Vercoe says they plan to get every female to renest. She says they do this by removing eggs from the nest, which usually prompts the female to mate and lay again. Deidre says they can do this because it is such an early breeding season, and the hope is that it will boost the number of chicks produced. Renesting was tried with 12 females in the 2016 breeding season and eight females successfully nested a second time. To date, 19 out of 21 females on Anchor Island have nested, and the island rangers have found 16 nests. Unfortunately around half of all kākāpō eggs are infertile, and that is the case so far, out of more than 30 eggs already laid. The breeding season on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island is several weeks behind Anchor Island. Twenty one out of 29 females have mated, and the island rangers have found 4 nests so far. Deidre says that the first female to nest, Pearl, has already mated again, after her nest was abandoned following an altercation with a petrel. Kakapo scientist Andrew Digby says that while all the male kākāpō are booming well, only a few of them will successfully attract a female to mate with. But a small number of birds - the super-studs -will be very successful. So far this breeding season, success seems to be running in the family. Sixteen-year-old Tākitimu, on Anchor Island, is the most successful male to date, having mated 11 times with six different females. His father Basil is also high in the popularity stakes: six matings with three different females. Meet Pearl and Boss Pearl hatched in 2002. Her mum is Alice and dad is Waynebo. She started breeding when she was nearly 7 years old. Her first two chicks from the 2009 breeding season were Jemma and Juanma. They have a place in kākāpō history as they were fathered through artificial insemination. Pearl is a good mother. In 2016 she produced three more chicks - Attenborough, Punga and Faulkner… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
Don't count your kākāpō chicks until they hatch, kākāpō leaky homes and lots more kākāpō sex, all in episode 4 of the Kākāpō Files. The 2019 kākāpō breeding season continues at breakneck speed. Nineteen of 21 females on Anchor Island have mated and are starting to nest. Down on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island, the action is also hotting up - but there is some disappointing news from Pearl's nest. In episode four of the Kākāpō Files, we find out the truth behind the old saying 'don't count your eggs until they hatch', and we hear about leaky homes when it comes to kākāpō nests. Kākāpō ranger Brodie Philp and kākāpō technical advisor Daryl Eason have just returned from Anchor Island and we catch up with them for all the latest news. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
Kākāpō breeding action really kicked off on Christmas Eve and in episode 3 of the Kākāpō Files we discover it is in full swing. Let's not be coy about this. Lots of kākāpō are having lots of kākāpō sex. And the first eggs of the 2019 kākāpō breeding season have been laid. DOC's Kākāpō Recovery Programme manager Deidre Vercoe couldn't be happier. She says the kākāpō breeding season on Fiordland's Anchor Island got fully underway on Christmas Eve, and is in full swing. More than half of the 21 young kākāpō female on Anchor Island have already mated, and island rangers confirmed on the 2nd of January that the first eggs have been laid in two nests, belonging to Waa and Waikawa. Deidre says she is particularly pleased that Kuia, a female with important Fiordland genes, has mated with several different males. Mating with multiple males significantly increases the chances that eggs will be fertile. Meanwhile, down on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island, the female Pearl is incubating three eggs, and other birds have started mating. Kākāpō scientist Andrew Digby says that it is too early to know if Pearl's eggs are fertile, but island rangers will be checking their fertility in a day or two. Andrew says it is good news that Nora, one of the founder birds from Stewart Island, has mated. She successfully bred for the first time in more than 30 years during the 2016 breeding season. Unfortunately the death of Piripi, another founder bird, lowers the total kākāpō population to 147. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
In episode 2 of the Kākāpō Files we find out that when it comes to kākāpō breeding the early birds are, well, very early. It's the summer solstice, and things are definitely hotting up in the kākāpō world. DOC's Kākāpō Recovery Programme scientist Andrew Digby says there is lots of booming action amongst the male kākāpō on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island. And manager Deidre Vercoe has some breaking news about a pair of early birds, Pearl and Boss. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details…
The kākāpō is one of the world's rarest birds, and in the first episode of the Kākāpō Files we learn about the giant flightless parrot's 'love triangle.' Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
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