On an island in New Zealand’s remote southern fjords, one of the world’s strangest and rarest parrots – the kākāpō – is caring for her tiny chick as fans from across the globe watch on.
Through the black and white lens of a hidden camera, a fluffy orb with a kazoo-like squeak jostles for food from its mother’s beak. The mother, Rakiura, is attentive – scooping her chick under her large green wings, fending off an intruding bird, and periodically tidying her nest.
Since New Zealand’s Department of Conservation launched its live stream in mid-January, more than 100,000 people have tuned in to watch Rakiura during breeding season.
In a chat forum attached to the live stream, fans monitor progress and comment on each moment with glee. Some congratulate the mother on her chicks, while others offer up name suggestions. Conservationists are pinning hopes on this being a record breeding year for the threatened bird – Rakiura has already had three chicks hatch.
At any given time there are more than 100 people watching her, even as she sleeps for hours on end. On the forum, many discuss why this rare look into the elusive lives of the kākāpō resonates.
“This site is my lovely distraction from all the terrible things happening in the world around us,” writes one viewer.
“I‘m following the story of this nest with curiosity and wonder,” writes another. “Thank you, [Department of Conservation], for your commitment and passion for this extraordinary bird: fighting for the beautiful and wonderful things on this planet is never pointless or a waste of time.”
“Oh my goodness. I just teared up a little knowing how fragile this species is,” writes one fan when hearing that two of Rakiura’s eggs are fertile. “It truly is so amazing and so exciting.”
People have tuned in from countries including the United Kingdom, Finland and Germany – and all over New Zealand.
A kākāpō with a chick. The birds were once abundant across New Zealand but their population plummeted after the introduction of predators. Photograph: Andrew Digby
Her popularity is not entirely surprising – kākāpō are famously entertaining and odd. They are the world’s fattest parrot and the only nocturnal and flightless parrot. They have a gentlemanly face, unusual mating rituals and are extremely rare.
Kākāpō were once abundant across New Zealand. But their population plummeted after the introduction of predators such as cats and stoats, and by the 1900s they were nearly extinct.
A recovery programme established in 1995 rebuilt the population from 51 to 236 birds, including 83 breeding-age females.
Now, for the first time in four years they are breeding, triggered by the mass fruiting of the berries of the native rimu tree on which kākāpō feed . Conservationists hope the bountiful harvest could prompt the birds to produce more eggs and lead to a record number of chicks.
With 78 nests, 247 eggs laid and 57 chicks hatched so far, the birds are on track to meet the milestone, says Dr Andrew Digby, the department’s science adviser for kākāpō, speaking from Pukenui/Anchor Island where he is monitoring the nests.
“It will be the biggest kākāpō breeding season we’ve had on record.”
There are three kākāpō breeding populations, all based on predator-free islands near the bottom of the South Island – one near Rakiura/Stewart Island, and two near Fiordland national park.
This season, the kākāpō team has started to step back from the more intensive methods they have used in previous years, including not feeding the adult birds.
“We’re moving from individual recovery to population recovery – and that’s what this breeding season signifies: a turning point.”
The nests are still monitored and staff often move eggs and chicks, which weigh roughly 30 grams on hatching – between mothers to ensure they have the best chance at survival.
“They start off very cute, very white, little fluffy things like balls of cotton wool … then they get to this kind of dinosaur phase. They become quite gangly and awkward with massively outsized feet and legs,” Digby says.
The fast-growing chicks need a lot of food, which explains why kākāpō may time their breeding season during a large fruiting of rimu.
Digby has been instrumental in setting up the live stream – in part as an educational tool for those involved in their recovery but also to feed the public’s curiosity about the birds.
“People love the characters and the relationship between the birds … they are heavily invested in the fate of those chicks, what their weight curves are going to be,” he says, with some amusement.
“It’s fascinating, that’s the sort of chat we do among our team and then suddenly we’ve got all the members of the public as engaged as we are – that’s pretty exciting.”
