New Zealand’s Rarest Mainland Forest Bird Is Having an ‘Epic’ Breeding Season

Conservationists estimate the orange-fronted parakeet population has likely doubled. Department of Conservation Up until 25 years ago, New Zealand’s orange-fronted parakeet, or kākāriki karaka, was believed to be extinct. Now, it’s having one of its best breeding seasons in decades, NPR reported Thursday . At least 150 kākāriki karaka chicks have been born in the wild this season, New Zealand Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage said in a statement Wednesday , potentially doubling the population of New Zealand’s rarest mainland forest bird , which is estimated to be between 100 and 300. "It is great news that this year there are more than three times the number of nests compared to previous years," Sage said. "This year’s epic breeding provides a much-needed boost to the kākāriki karaka population." Our rarest mainland forest bird, the kākāriki karaka/orange-fronted parakeet, is having its best breeding season in… https://t.co/Gexzsq3G6c — Department of Conservation (@docgovtnz) 1563332399.0 The New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC) said it had found 31 nests in Canterbury so far this year, and that the breeding season was not yet over. The bird, also known as Malherbe’s Parakeet, scientific name Cyanoramphus malherbi, is considered critically endangered by the International Union for […]

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