For our Kiwi mates in this community and all bird lovers: Happy Kākāpō Spring!

Kākāpō, the world’s only nocturnal and flightless parrot, were once abundant across New Zealand. But their population plummeted after the introduction of predators such as cats and stoats. By the 1900s, they were nearly extinct.

A recovery programme was established in 1995 with a population of just 51 birds and has battled challenges with genetic diversity, infertility and poor chick hatching rates. There are three kākāpō breeding populations, all based on predator-free islands off the South Island.

Kākāpō breed only every two to four years when the native rimu trees produce large numbers of berries, so repopulation is slow. This year, after a four-year wait, a bountiful harvest of rimu berries prompted the birds to breed and produce a record number of chicks.

Kākāpō are thought to live between 60 and 80 years, can weigh up to 4kg and are famously entertaining. More than 100,000 people tuned in to watch a live stream of a kākāpō sleeping, eating and attending to her nest and chicks during breeding season.