Egg find brings hope for rescue of the kakariki

By ANNE BESTON, Environment Reporter


Seven eggs from the nest of a South Island parakeet have given conservation staff something to smile about after three tough years for the birds.

The Department of Conservation has been scouring three North Canterbury valleys for weeks in search of orange-fronted kakariki eggs in a last-ditch effort to save the birds from extinction.

DoC's Patrina Duncan said the latest find was a big relief.

"We're pretty pleased, we spent four hours waiting for the female to go off the nest so we could bring them in," she said.

The eggs have been transferred to a Christchurch aviary and the chicks will be raised in captivity as DoC tries to build a population big enough for transfer to a predator-free offshore island.

The population of the bright green, budgie-sized kakariki has plummeted to critical levels in the past three years because of predators such as stoats and rats.

The recovery effort has been dogged by problems - three of five chicks hatched at a Te Anau aviary earlier this year died.

The total orange-fronted kakariki population is thought to be around 200 but, unlike other birds on the endangered list such as takahe, kakapo and black robin, it doesn't have the safety net of transfer to an offshore island because the department simply doesn't have enough in captivity.

The birds' plight prompted Conservation Minister Chris Carter to create Operation Ark this year, a pest control programme that will be immediately launched if predator numbers reach critical levels in South Island beech forests.

DoC won't know whether to launch Operation Ark until after beech seeding occurs in late summer.

While the seed provides food for a range of native birds, it also provides food for rats and stoats.

High seeding or "masting" years can create a "pest plague" when seed eventually runs out and predators attack bird nests instead.

The seven kakariki eggs will be fostered by a close relative of the orange-fronted parakeet, the yellow-crowned parakeet, at the Isaac Wildlife Trust in Christchurch.

"She's a hand-reared parakeet and a good mum and by fluke she had seven eggs of her own so she didn't notice the difference," Ms Duncan said.

The foster mother's own eggs have gone to a private breeder for rearing.