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Kākāpō population hits 75-year high after record breeding season
New CapabilitiesNinety chicks from a record breeding season lifted the critically endangered parrot's population to 325 birds
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Overview
Updated 3 hours agoNew Zealand's kākāpō population hit 325 birds on September 1, 2026—the first time the world's heaviest parrot has topped 300 in roughly 75 years. The jump came from a record breeding season: 90 chicks survived to independence and joined the official count.
The rebound began in 1995, when the population had collapsed to 51 birds. Now the program faces a new problem: its predator-free islands are full, and the team is testing how much human help kākāpō still need to keep growing.
Why it matters
Kākāpō rebounded from 51 to 325 birds—but the islands that shelter them are full, so finding new habitat is the next test.
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Key Indicators
325
Current kākāpō population
Official population after 90 chicks were added on September 1, 2026.
90
Chicks added in 2026 season
Record number of chicks that reached 150 days old, the independence milestone.
258
Eggs laid in 2026 season
258 eggs laid by 79 nesting females; 106 hatched, 90 survived to independence.
51
Population when recovery began in 1995
Just 20 females remained when the Kākāpō Recovery Programme started.
75
Years since population last topped 300
DOC estimates the last time numbers exceeded 300 may have been 75 years ago.
Related Media
Kākāpō rising: 90 chicks swell population of the world's heaviest parrot | New Zealand | The Guardian
Habitat and islands: Kākāpō
Images from Openverse under Creative Commons licenses.
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People Involved
Deidre Vercoe
Kākāpō Recovery Operations Manager, New Zealand Department of Conservation
Overseeing the program after the record 2026 breeding season
Andrew Digby
Kākāpō Recovery science advisor
Leading the program's shift toward less intensive management
Tāne
Kākāpō Recovery programme leader
Pushing for a predator-free Rakiura (Stewart Island)
Organizations Involved
DO
New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC)
Government agency
Runs the Kākāpō Recovery Programme
New Zealand's government conservation agency, responsible for protecting native species including the kākāpō.
Ngāi Tahu
Māori iwi (tribe)
Treaty partner in the Kākāpō Recovery Programme
The Māori tribe of New Zealand's South Island, whose ancestral lands include kākāpō habitat.
Kākāpō Recovery Programme
Conservation program
Active; managed the record 2026 breeding season
The Department of Conservation program that manages the entire kākāpō population across three predator-free islands.
Timeline
1894 September 2026
8 events
Latest: 2 days ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date
-
Population hits 325, a 75-year high
Latest MilestoneNinety chicks officially added after reaching 150 days; population hits 325.
-
Record breeding season peaks
Breeding season79 females nest, 258 eggs laid, 106 chicks hatch across three islands.
-
Stoats eradicated from Anchor Island
EradicationAnchor Island cleared of stoats, adding a second major breeding site.
-
Rats eradicated from Whenua Hou
EradicationRats removed from Codfish Island, securing a key predator-free breeding site.
-
Recovery programme launches at 51 birds
Program launchPopulation slumps to 51; DOC starts Kākāpō Recovery Programme.
-
Birds evacuated to offshore sanctuaries
ConservationFeral cats drive Rakiura decline; survivors moved to Codfish, Maud, and Little Barrier islands.
-
Kākāpō rediscovered on Rakiura
DiscoveryAbout 200 birds found booming in southern Rakiura; females confirmed by 1980.
-
First rescue attempt fails
ConservationRichard Henry moves hundreds of kākāpō to Resolution Island; stoats arrive within six years.
Historical Context
3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.
1941–present
Whooping crane recovery (1941–present)
The whooping crane population fell to about 15 birds in 1941. Decades of habitat protection, captive rearing, and ultralight-led migration training rebuilt it.
Then
Numbers climbed slowly through the mid-20th century as the last wild flock was protected.
Now
The population now exceeds 500 wild and captive birds, though the species remains endangered.
Why this matters now
A long-lived, slow-reproducing bird whose recovery spans decades—the same timescale as the kākāpō's comeback.
1974–present
Mauritius kestrel recovery (1974–present)
In 1974, just four Mauritius kestrels were known to exist, making it the world's rarest bird. Conservationists used captive breeding, nest boxes, and predator control to rebuild the species.
Then
The population recovered to a few hundred birds within two decades.
Now
The kestrel is the classic proof that a bird species can rebound from a founder group smaller than the kākāpō's 1995 low.
Why this matters now
The kestrel shows what sustained, species-specific intervention can achieve—though the kākāpō's reproductive cycle is far slower.
1982–present
California condor recovery (1982–present)
By 1982, only 22 California condors remained in the wild. Scientists captured every surviving bird for captive breeding—a gamble that critics warned could doom the species.
Then
Captive breeding worked; the first condors were released in 1992.
Now
The population now exceeds 500, with more than 300 in the wild—though every bird still wears wing tags and many depend on managed food sources.
Why this matters now
Like the kākāpō, condors were rebuilt from a tiny founder group through decades of intensive management, and they remain dependent on human support today.
Sources
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