About this episode

The episode discusses the recent kākāpō breeding season and answers listener questions about the species.

Six months after this record-breaking kākāpō breeding season began, all 91 living chicks have fledged and left the nest. The chicks remain with their kākāpō mums and are still being fed by them, as well as eating a range of plant material, and as cold wet midwinter weather sets in the chicks are learning to find dry roost sites. The Kākāpō Team’s Daryl Eason and Andrew Digby answer listener questions, including why did Kākāpō cam star Rakiura spend so much time in the nest digging, what can you learn from a piece of egg shell, and could old museum specimens be a source of lost kākāpō genes? Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to kakapo@rnz.co.nz In this episode: 02:06 – Island news with ranger Daniella Whitaker 06:21 – Update on Kākāpō Cam star Rakiura 11:43 – Sick kākāpō 15:19 - Are kākāpō smart? 18:19 - Previous nest cams 20:05 - Why did Rakiura dig so much in her nest? 24:00 - Do kākāpō compete with other species? 25:30 - Kākāpō on Coal Island and at Sanctuary Mountain Mangatautari 30:57 - Museum specimens and lost genes Learn more: Follow the Kākāpō Files podcast to keep up to date Listen to the Voice of the Kākāpō series for a recap of the 2019 breeding season. Also…

People in this episode

Guests: Daryl Eason, Andrew Digby

Topics covered

• kākāpō breeding
• wildlife conservation
• animal behavior
• New Zealand fauna
• listener Q&A

Keywords

• kākāpō
• breeding season
• Rakiura
• wildlife
• conservation
• New Zealand
• animal behavior
• museum specimens

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Kākāpō Files, RNZ

Places: Coal Island, Sanctuary Mountain Mangatautari

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