One of the world’s most extraordinary birds is making a remarkable comeback in New Zealand, with the critically endangered kākāpō population reaching its highest level in generations.
The kākāpō is unlike any other parrot on Earth. Large, green, nocturnal and completely flightless, it was once widespread across New Zealand. But the arrival of introduced predators such as cats, rats and stoats devastated the species, eventually pushing it perilously close to extinction.
By the time the Kākāpō Recovery Programme was established in 1995, just 51 birds remained.
Three decades of intensive conservation work have now produced an extraordinary turnaround. Kākāpō have been protected in carefully managed, predator-free habitats, while conservationists have monitored individual birds, protected nests and worked painstakingly to give every precious chick the best possible chance of survival.
And 2026 has delivered something exceptional.
A record 90 chicks were produced during this year’s breeding season, helping take the population to 325 birds — a recovery-era high.
The achievement becomes even more remarkable when put into perspective. During the early years of the recovery programme, it took 16 years to produce 90 chicks. This year, conservationists achieved the same number in a single breeding season.
Deidre Vercoe, who leads the programme for New Zealand’s Department of Conservation, described the result as a significant milestone while emphasising that there remains a long road ahead.
There certainly is. With only a few hundred kākāpō in existence, the species remains critically endangered and its future still depends upon intensive protection.
But today’s population is a world away from those frightening days when barely 50 birds remained.
The kākāpō may have lost the ability to fly thousands of years ago — but after being brought frighteningly close to disappearing altogether, this remarkable little parrot is finally soaring again.
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