No Breeding Kakapo This Year

Forest and Bird, Issue 308, 1 May 2003, Page 5

No Breeding Kakapo This Year

‘Sadly, kakapo are not going to breed this year, according to threatened species expert, Don Merton of the Department of Conservation. The good news, however, is that all 86 kakapo, including the 24 juveniles from last year, are alive and in good health. There has been no booming activity — the territorial mating signal — on Chalky Island in Fiordland, and very little on Codfish Island. Four of the Codfish females still have ‘chicks’ with them. ‘After a highly successful breeding season last year it’s not surprising that they are having a year off? Don Merton says. ‘We were hopeful that there would be a beech mast [seeding] on Chalky Island and that at least some of the females there would breed again’ These Chalky Island females

did not raise young last year though they laid eggs. These were removed and their eggs placed for fostering with other birds on Codfish Island. ‘Unfortunately, the beech mast anticipated on Chalky has

apparently been a bit of a fizzer, as has the rimu seed crop on both islands, Don Merton says. All adult females and selected males were given supplementary feed for three or four months in anticipation of breeding this

year. However, in the absence of breeding, supplementary feeding was phased out in February. An attempt to get semen from male birds proved unsuccessful but the field workers were able to catch ‘Ben’ a bird that has been without a transmitter for the last couple of years and had no microchip (for individual identification). All kakapo are now ‘transmitterised and microchipped’. ‘I guess it’s fingers crossed for a kakapo breeding event in 2004, or failing that, 2005, Don Merton says. Forest and Bird is a member of the Kakapo Threatened Species Trust which along with sponsors Comalco and DoC is supporting the research and breeding programme.