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Performers at the evening events at Wellington’s Botanic Gardens may be getting a rather unexpected audience this summer. At least 18 nationally endangered North Island kaka have been regularly seen frolicking in the trees nearby at dusk.

The kaka (a highly-intelligent bush parrot and close cousin of the South Island’s infamous kea) was to all intents and purposes extinct in Wellington since the early 1900s. But thanks to the efforts of Wellington’s world-first Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, the city is now home to over 60 kaka – the only city in New Zealand to have a breeding population of this fantastic bird.

Since 2002, eleven kaka have been released into the award-winning wildlife sanctuary, protected from predators like cats and stoats by the Sanctuary’s world-famous predator exclusion fence. The population has increased six-fold in just five years, and the birds are becoming an increasingly common sight in local parks and gardens.

“Nearly every day we receive reports from members of the public in surrounding suburbs who have one or two kaka in their backyard or flying overhead but to have 18 individually identified in the Botanic Gardens is extraordinary”, says Sanctuary conservation scientist Raewyn Empson.

“They have been seen flying to and from the Sanctuary and at present are attracted to the gardens by the prolific pohutukawa flowers. Outside the safety of the Sanctuary kaka are vulnerable to being attacked by stoats and cats therefore if you do see a kaka up close please respect it by quietly observing it”.

North Island kaka are classified as being nationally endangered with the largest populations being located on offshore islands and much smaller populations located in several forests in the North Island and in captivity.

The Sanctuary is certainly one of the best places to see this majestic bird. They are nearly always wheeling overhead, and there are two locations with feeding stations in the Sanctuary to entice birds down for closer inspection (and to encourage the birds to nest and feed within the safety of the fence!).

If you think you’ve seen a kaka in Wellington, the Sanctuary would love to hear from you. They are interested in learning about any banded native birds spotted outside of the Sanctuary so they can understand more about the habits of reintroduced species. You can report your sightings online. Simply visit www.sanctuary.org.nz and click on ‘Report a Bird’.

ENDS

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