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| Kaka enjoying an apple. |
As I mentioned earlier I would dedicate another blog to the other parrots in the Nestor genus the Kaka’s.
What is a Kaka?
The Kaka boasts many primitive parrot features that were apparent in the parrots’ early history over
50 million years ago so it is a good representative to see what early members of the parrot family were like. It is closely related to the Alpine dwelling Kea and the two species look very similar. Unlike its more well-known cousin however the Kaka has darker colouring, is more arboreal and doesn’t dine on carrion or
sheep. Its diet is like that of other parrots consisting of fruits, nuts, berries, seeds, buds, nectar, sap and invertebrates.
Kakas live in large flocks in low to mid altitude forests of New Zealand preferring to inhabit the mid to high canopy of the forests. Kaka are active primarily during the day, sleeping at night, but have been noted to be active at night during a full moon or fine weather. They are active boisterous birds who socialize around dawn and dusk every day and prove to have amusing antics. The female lays around three to four eggs in a tree cavity each
breeding season and the eggs are incubated for three weeks. Both parents feed the chicks who are not able to be fully independent for over seven months. Unusual for birds the young are kicked out of the nest before they are able to fly making them vulnerable to predators. Currently only one species of Kaka still lives and it has been deemed Chatham Kaka who died out on the Chatham islands when man first arrived there during the last ice age; no skins or art exists of the Chatham Kaka just fossils. The living Kakas are split into two species defined by the island they inhabit in New Zealand. The North New Zealand Kaka inhabits the northern island while the South New Zealand Kaka inhabits the southern island. The only other major difference is that the southern islands Kaka is more vividly coloured than the northern islands Kaka.
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| The extinct Norfolk Kaka. |
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| A Kaka pair. |
Threats and conservation
Before man’s arrival Kakas had almost no predators and little competition from rival species but man brought with him species that now hunt and compete with the Kaka making the bird suffer. Rats, possums and stoats (a kind of weasel) are the predators that mainly hunt them while wasps and bees now
compete with them for the Honeydew that forms on the islands beech trees. It is believed that this honeydew is essential for the Kaka to breed. Deer and pigs compete for their food and clearing of forests for agriculture and logging have destroyed some of the forests where they live. These birds require large tracts
of forests for their large flocks. Evidence points that a large portion of females are killed by stoats while they are incubating their eggs due to their nesting behaviour of nesting deep in hollow trees where escape from a predator isn’t possible. This has caused an imbalance in the sexes.
Work is being done to try and eliminate the threats faced by the Kaka. The most hazardous to the declining populations of Kaka are the stoats and other predators. Experiments have been done using the natural metabolic poison 1080 or Sodium fluoroacetate. It is highly dangerous to mammals but when used safely and carefully, as New Zealand is doing, it has little to no effect on birds and has actual helped improve the native flora and fauna of the islands. Traps and carefully monitored and safely planned aerial 1080 drops are used to help control or attempt to eliminate the threats from the invasive species and it is proving successful. Since New Zealand has no native mammals it is the largest user of 1080 and has had the best success in protecting native species with it.
Other methods of conservation being used to protect the Kaka are the use of protected wildlife areas often set up in national parks.
Some more images:
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| North island Kaka. |
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| South island Kaka. |
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| The Kakas' home territory. |
It's so awful that these birds are in trouble! I'm reading your post, thinking "Oh cool, I love learning about these cool new parrots" when all of the sudden "WHAM!" they're almost extinct. I really hope that the work of these organizations will help save these species.
ReplyDeleteShame to hear that the Kakas are nearly extinct. It seems that mankind has had an undeniable impact on a variety of birds. It is an unfortunate reality let's hope that we can make some changes before it's too late.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful bird. Hopefully man can try to help restore this species before it is too late.
ReplyDelete