Chick magnet: Leonardo DiCaprio shouts out kakī conservation efforts

Leonardo DiCaprio shouted out conservation efforts for a rare NZ bird on Twitter. Photo / Getty Images

Leonardo DiCaprio is known for being a Hollywood heartthrob - but now he's been won over by a native Aotearoa bird.

The keen environmentalist took to Twitter to express news from the Department of Conservation about the hatching of 18 kakī chicks. He shared an adorable picture of the birds with his 19.4 million followers.

"The @docgovtnz reports that 18 Kakī chicks hatched as part of their conservation breeding program between December 24 and December 28," the Hollywood actor wrote.

"This is an unusually high number and a boon for the world's rarest wading bird."

DOC kakī project lead Liz Brown told the Herald: "Kakī are one of the lesser-known of the New Zealand endemic species. You know, everyone knows about the kiwi and kākāpo and the takahē. "

Brown called the shout-out from the celebrity "absolutely fantastic," and said the more people that know about them, the more help they can have in fighting the "uphill battle" to help the critically endangered birds.

DiCaprio is a founding member of Re:Wild, and a Brown explains the organisation helped fund some of the new facilities for the species' project in Twizel. DOC and Re:Wild are in contact so she thinks that is how the kakī chicks piqued his interest.

But she had no idea DiCaprio planned to bring the birds' attention to tens of millions of fans.

"They [kakī] are currently rarer than the kakapo, so the more people that know about them, the better."

She advises New Zealanders who spot the endangered bird this summer to "keep an eye out for the birds that might be breeding."

"And if they seem them, and they're looking distressed just to give them a wide berth and let them do their thing."

The @docgovtnz reports that 18 Kakī chicks hatched as part of their conservation breeding program between December 24 and December 28. This is an unusually high number and a boon for the world’s rarest wading bird. (📷 : Liz Brown/DOC) pic.twitter.com/4z9p6UBPoT

— Leonardo DiCaprio (@LeoDiCaprio) January 10, 2022

According to DOC, the black stilt/kakī is a native wading bird only found in New Zealand. The bird has a population of Just 170 wild adult birds.

"It is regarded as a taonga species – a living treasure," the profile reads.

Speaking about the "bumper batch" of kakī chicks hatching over Christmas in the Twizel brooding facility, Brown said in a press release on December 27 the 18 was an "abnormally high" number.

"For example, over the past 10 years, between 0 and 4 chicks have hatched on Christmas Day, with the average being one.

"We think it's because the breeding season and nest making started a little late this year.

"We're not sure exactly why the season started slowly, but we think it could be down to climate conditions.

The bird's main threats are predators like feral cats and ferrets, habitat loss and human disturbance.

DOC adds on its website: "Conservation efforts to date have succeeded in averting extinction and increasing kakī numbers."

DiCaprio established his own foundation in 1998 "with the mission of protecting the world's last wild places".

As part of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation's efforts, the star uses his social media following to inspire the public to take action on key environmental issues.

DiCaprio's latest big on-screen role is in Adam McKay's Netflix movie Don't Look Up, which also stars Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence and Jonah Hill.