New Zealand's rare giant parrot makes big step back from extinction

Conservation officials in New Zealand are claiming an early win in the battle to save one of the world's most endangered birds from extinction.

This year could see the most successful breeding year in the history of the species recovery program for the kakapo, the critically endangered flightless giant parrot, Conservation Minister Maggie Barry said Friday.

Only 125 kakapo, which are nocturnal and found only in New Zealand, are known to exist and they are famous for their character, rarity and strange appearance.

"So far this season, 42 out of 54 female kakapo have nested, with 28 chicks alive and well and another 19 fertile eggs still to hatch," Barry said in a statement.

"Two of the females have even managed to produce two clutches of eggs after their first clutch was taken for artificial incubation to ensure their safety."

Kakapo last bred in 2014, with six chicks successfully raised, and the previous record breeding season was in 2009 when 22 chicks were raised.

Some birds inevitably would not survive and infertility rates were high, but all the indications were that this year would break the 2009 record, Barry said.

"Our nation almost lost the kakapo to introduced pests brought in by Europeans. If this season continues its successful start, by the middle of this year there could potentially be more kakapo in New Zealand than any time in the last 50 years."

The birds are housed on three predator free islands in the north and south of the country.

The Department of Conservation recovery program used ground-breaking science to help increase the kakapo population, including genetic mapping, artificial insemination and automated radio tracking technology, said Barry.

When the program started in 1995, the kakapo population was just 49.

Earlier this month, New Zealand scientists announced the kakapo would become the world's first species to have genome sequencing of all surviving members in a bid to understand its genetic variation and improve breeding strategies.

Historically a widespread species, kakapo can live for decades, but their numbers declined rapidly after European settlement with the loss of habitat and the introduction of predators such as rats, cats and stoats. Endit