Kākā
The kākā (Nestor meridionalis) is a large, endemic forest parrot whose diet includes berries, seeds, nectar and invertebrates. The kākā plays an important role in native forests by pollinating flowers and breaking up rotten wood, speeding its decay.
There are two subspecies: the North Island kākā (N. meridionalis septentrionalis) and the South Island kākā (N. m. meridionalis). Both are classified as nationally endangered due to the loss of their habitat in the past, coupled with the current pressure from predators like possums and stoats.
In areas without predator control, most kākā nests do not produce young and many nesting females are killed. Predator control in protected forest blocks has resulted in a rapid increase in kākā numbers in those areas.
With effective predator control, about 80 per cent of the nests produce young, which is a marked increase in breeding success, and far more breeding females survive.
Current situation
In the 19th century, kākā were abundant throughout forests in the North and South Islands, but by 1930 they had become more localised. North Island kākā are now almost absent from many large forested areas with high levels of predators. They are still common in some central North Island forests, but even within these strongholds kākā are thought to be declining. They are still common on some larger offshore islands.
The South Island subspecies is still widespread, although low in number, and has become progressively more common on the West Coast of the South Island to Fiordland and on Stewart Island.
Kākā currently occupy less than 20 per cent of their original range, and recent evidence suggests that most populations without predator control are declining and remaining populations may consist of predominately males. Since the 1970s, the range of the kākā has contracted a further 6 per cent.
Change in distribution of the kākā
Data source: Department of Conservation.
The map above shows the distribution of the kākā in New Zealand, including its estimated pre-human, 1970s and current (2007) distributions. It shows that the range of the kākā has contracted over time and it now occupies less than 20 per cent of its original range.
This information has come from the latest national state of the environment report Environment New Zealand 2007.
Move to the next indicator species, the kōkako.
Last updated: December 2007
