New Zealand Welcomes a Record 90 Kakapo Chicks, Helping the World’s Chunkiest Parrot Species Rebound From the Brink of Extinction

Annual chick counts aren’t confirmed until the youngest hatchling reaches 150 days old, a benchmark for independence. The population now stands at 325 birds, up from the 51 individuals that remained in 1995

Sarah Kuta | Daily Correspondent

September 17, 2026 10:00 a.m.

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A record 90 chicks have been added to New Zealand’s kakapo population this year, raising hopes that the critically endangered parrots can bounce back from the brink of extinction.

“It took about 16 years to make 90 chicks in the early days of the recovery program,” Deidre Vercoe, a conservationist with New Zealand’s Department of Conservation, tells Alison Ballance on Radio New Zealand’s “Kakapo Files” podcast. “And we’ve just done that in one season.”

The kakapo, which lives only in New Zealand, is the world’s heaviest parrot, topping the scales at up to nine pounds. These hefty birds are flightless, although some lighter females can glide across short distances. Instead, the chunky creatures rely on their powerful claws and strong legs to climb trees and waddle around on the ground.

Individual kakapo—which have mottled, bright green plumage—can live between 60 and 90 years. However, the species as a whole has suffered a steep population decline because of hunting starting in the 13th century, as well as the introduction of predators like rats, cats and stoats, a type of weasel. The birds’ nocturnal habits help them avoid some predators, but their distinctive, sweet-smelling odor can make them easy prey. Habitat loss, disease and reproductive issues have also hampered the species.

The population plummeted to 51 birds—just 20 of them females—in 1995. But thanks to concerted recovery efforts that started in the 1980s, the species has slowly been making a comeback. On September 1, New Zealand’s Department of Conservation shared the latest tally: 325 kakapo individuals.

That’s a “significant milestone” because the last time the parrots’ population topped 300 individuals may have been as long as 75 years ago, Vercoe says in the statement.

“To blow through that 300 population mark just knocks my socks off,” Vercoe says on the “Kakapo Files” podcast. “Even as I say it now, I think ‘Really? 325—has that actually happened?’ But it is true; it is fantastic.”

The population got a major boost from a breeding bonanza earlier this year. It’s a big deal because Kakapo don’t breed annually. They typically reproduce every two to four years, when rimu trees—a tall evergreen native to New Zealand—produce abundant red fruits. This year, the trees sprouted one of their best crops in decades, which prompted the baby boom.

Officials say 79 females nested this year, laying a total of 258 eggs. More than half of them never hatched. Some chicks that did emerge died soon after. But nearly one-third of the eggs produced chicks that survived to the 150-day-old mark, when a baby has fledged and is considered independent. Once the youngest chick reaches that point, conservationists confirm the official chick count.

Most of the chicks will get names when they turn a year old, in February and March of next year. However, experts plan to leave a handful of chicks unnamed—a sign of the species’ gradual transition toward a future with less human intervention.

With that goal in mind, conservationists also made some changes to the way they managed the birds this year. They used data from remote nest technology to keep tabs on the eggs and chicks, reducing the need for as many in-person checks. They also reduced supplementary feeding in some areas.

Breeding populations live on three predator-free islands: Codfish, Anchor and Chalky. But after the record breeding season, the birds are running out of room. “If we want to keep kakapomaxxing, we need to fix the kakapo housing crisis,” environmental journalist Ellen Rykers tells the Spinoff’s Hayden Donnell.

Moving forward, conservationists say they need to create even more predator-free habitats for the parrots, with the eventual goal of returning kakapo to the island of Rakiura, their ancestral home.

Computer simulations suggest the next breeding season could occur in two years. So, while conservationists are taking a moment to celebrate the species’ recent gains, they’re “already looking ahead to 2028 and preparing for what could come next,” Vercoe says in the statement.

Sarah Kuta is a writer and editor based in Longmont, Colorado. She covers history, science, travel, food and beverage, sustainability, economics and other topics.