Kakapo season 2015-16 (and then on until the next breeding season)

[Pertinax]

Thanks for the links/explanations.

News to me that the Stewart Island Kakapos are thought to be descended from birds introduced from the South Island, but it would explain the genetic similarities if the founder stock was actually very small. But whatever one thinks of introductions generally, in this case they saved the species.

The only parrot I know with a worse fertility record is Spix Macaw and they are really inbred. I can't remember offhand what the fertility% is for them but its very low indeed.

 

[gerenuk]

But whatever one thinks of introductions generally, in this case they saved the species.

Rather, it gave them more time. They certainly haven't been saved.

 

[gentle lemur]

Rather, it gave them more time. They certainly haven't been saved.

Not yet: but good management may improve the fertility rate - for both kakapo and Spix's.

Alan

 

[Chlidonias]

News to me that the Stewart Island Kakapos are thought to be descended from birds introduced from the South Island, but it would explain the genetic similarities if the founder stock was actually very small.

the Stewart Island population was always considered a bit weird because the place they were discovered had been well-tramelled by old-timey gold-prospectors (I think that was their profession - working from memory for that) and nobody had ever mentioned kakapo. More recently studies of subfossil bird remains from Stewart Island show zero bones from kakapo. A figure I read the other day said about 22,500 bones have been collected from the island in total. There's no actual proof that the species was introduced there but it is suggestive and would explain several discrepancies.

 

[Hyak_II]

The only parrot I know with a worse fertility record is Spix Macaw and they are really inbred. I can't remember offhand what the fertility% is for them but its very low indeed.

Not yet: but good management may improve the fertility rate - for both kakapo and Spix's.

Alan

Indeed, the fertility of Spix Macaw eggs is around 30% or so, and only around 50% of those fertile eggs end up hatching.

However, as Alan mentioned, good management does pay off! In the past 3 years with more birds hitting maturity, transfers, and AI, and generally excellent co-operation and management of the population, numbers have been skyrocketing with all three facilities holding them breeding successfully, and the population growing extremely well.

It will be interesting to see how both these fragile populations grow over the next 5-10 years, Kakapo's currently standing at 160 give or take one or two, and Spix's sitting at 120-130 birds at the moment, especially with the ever increasing number of chicks hatching yearly!

 

[DavidBrown]

Has anybody ever estimated how many kakapos there were before humans showed up in New Zealand and started wiping them out with habitat destruction, rats, introduced predators, hunting, etc.?

 

[Chlidonias]

Has anybody ever estimated how many kakapos there were before humans showed up in New Zealand and started wiping them out with habitat destruction, rats, introduced predators, hunting, etc.?

only in very broad terms - there are estimated to have been "hundreds of thousands" of them before people turned up.

 

[vogelcommando]

Summary of the last breeding season :
Critically endangered kakapo on the increase - Pets & Animals - NZ Herald News

 

[Zygodactyl]

Even when Europeans arrived, you could shake a tree on the South Island and it would rain kakapo. I want a time machine. :-(

 

[Pertinax]

Even when Europeans arrived, you could shake a tree on the South Island and it would rain kakapo. I want a time machine. :-(

I would like one too. NZ would be on the list, but so would many other places.

 

[vogelcommando]

Latest Kakapo-news in the newsletter :

News and updates from the Kākāpō Recovery Team

 

[vogelcommando]

Plant-hormones and Kakapo-breeding :

Plant hormone boost for New Zealand's critically endangered night parrot

 

[Chlidonias]

Jimmy the kakapo has died this month. He was one of the original Stewart Island birds, but he never bred successfully.

Only 151 kākāpō left in NZ after native bird Jimmy dies

Also from the article:
Digby expected the kākāpō population would decrease further before it increased.

"We're in a period where we won't have any significant breeding until early 2019. Kākāpō only breed every two to three years."

The kākāpō population did increase from 125 to 157 in 2016, however.

"We had 32 chicks produced last breeding season, which was massive. Every seven years we get a big breeding event, and 2019 could be one as well."

 

[Pertinax]

So six lost since 2016 ? And how many of them were chicks and how many adults? ( Apart from this latest Jimmy, I know another 15 year-old male Blake died after a transmitter change fairly recently)

 

[Chlidonias]

Sirocco has been re-found after his transmitter failed two years ago.

"As he has been living without contact with humans for two years, a return to the spotlight will be on hold until it is clear whether Sirocco is ready and willing to take up his spokesbird role again."

Superstar kākāpō Sirocco found safe and sound