Waikato

The kākā is a large, noisy, olive-brown parrot, endemic to New Zealand and usually found in native forest. Under threat particularly from predatory stoats and possums, and from habitat loss, kākā are classified nationally as “At Risk”. Kākā. For conservation purposes it is important to find out more about the birds’ movements: where the birds come from, what they do, where they go, and to understand what threats they face. In September 2020, 11 kākā were tagged jointly by scientists at Manaaki Whenua and the Department of Conservation (DOC) at sites near Hamilton and Morrinsville. Manaaki Whenua currently has a project underway, funded by MBIE’s Strategic Science Investment Fund, to find ways to improve native bird abundance in fragmented native forest, using kākā as a case study. Similarly, the Department of Conservation (DOC), has implemented a new Mobile Threatened Species research programme, which aims to identify stopover points, flight paths and threats for mobile …