In 2009, one frisky parrot put a spotlight on his species when he mounted zoologist Mark Carwardine’s head and proceeded to show the world his finest mating ritual skills, as amused (and bemused) presenter Stephen Fry looked on.
That ostentatious display on the BBC nature series The Last Chance to See turned the kākāpō parrot, Sirocco, into an overnight YouTube sensation and made him the face of the plight of his ultra-rare New Zealand flightless flock. Sirocco, who is now 26, is still going strong and has many years of advocacy and mating displays ahead of him; the birds are thought to have a lifespan of around 60 years.
Now, in an equally rare biodiversity good news story, four kākāpō males will find a home on the country’s mainland for the first time in nearly 40 years, after their population was moved to remote islands for their own protection.
“Kākāpō are one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most iconic and rare species, recovering from a population low of 51 birds in 1995,” said Deidre Vercoe, Department of Conservation (DOC) operations manager for kākāpō. “Until now, kākāpō have been contained to a few predator-free offshore islands, so to have them now returning to the mainland is a major achievement for all involved.”
The four males will move from the tiny, remote Whenua Hou/Codfish Island off the bottom tip of New Zealand to a fenced nature reserve, Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, on the country’s North Island. It’s the first time kākāpō will have set foot on the North Island since the 1960s.
It’s a huge move for both the birds and those working on the Kākāpō Recovery Programme, which has brought the species back from extinction since its inception in 2016.
While their island homes are reaching accommodation capacity, there’s still just 248 birds left.
“Decades of collaboration and partnership have led to this translocation,” said the sanctuary’s biodiversity leader Janelle Ward.” It is a great privilege to know we will be in the presence of critically endangered kākāpō and helping to support the next phase of kākāpō recovery.”
The birds were once widespread across New Zealand, but they were no match for the invasive mammals introduced to the islands.
“Sanctuary Mountain is a large space, with plenty of good habitat for kākāpō, but it’s still unknown whether they will successfully establish here long-term,” said Vercoe. “The main focus of this translocation is to learn if kākāpō can thrive in a fenced sanctuary, while taking pressure off the islands ahead of future breeding seasons.”
Visitors are welcome at the sanctuary, but you’d be lucky to sight one of these four special males. Despite their large size and heft – they can weigh almost nine pounds (4 kg) – the nocturnal birds are savvy hiders.
“Kākāpō are masters at camouflage, so it is very unlikely visitors to the sanctuary will come across them,” Vercoe said. “However, the potential to hear their distinctive ‘booming’ calls across the Waikato landscape for the first time in generations is an important milestone.”
In 2016, the NZ government announced the Predator Free 2050 mission, in order to save the country’s unique endemic biodiversity.
See the original scene that shot Sirocco to fame in the BBC video below.
Source: DOC