First kākāpō chick in four years hatches on Valentine's Day
Date: 16 February 2026
Kākāpō Yasmine hatched an egg fostered from kākāpō Tīwhiri on Valentine's Day, bringing the total number of kākāpō to 237 – though it won’t be officially added to the population until it fledges. This is a significant milestone in the long-term recovery efforts for this critically endangered species.
DOC Operations Manager for kākāpō/takahē Deidre Vercoe expressed her excitement about the first chick of the breeding season, highlighting the rarity of kākāpō breeding and the challenges they face.
"These kākāpō are incredibly rare, and they only breed every 2–4 years. This breeding season, we have more breeding-age birds than ever before, so we're anticipating many more chicks." She explained that fostering eggs and chicks between different kākāpō mums is a strategy to improve nest success rates.
"Kākāpō mums typically have the best outcomes when raising a maximum of two chicks. Biological mum Tīwhiri has four fertile eggs this season, while Yasmine, an experienced foster mum, had none." This approach helps manage the limited genetic pool and addresses the issue of low hatching success rates.
Kākāpō face various challenges, with low hatching success being a significant obstacle. This season, there are 187 eggs, and 74 of them are fertile. However, not all will hatch, and not all chicks will survive to fledging.
Deidre Vercoe mentioned the historical low population of kākāpō, which was once down to just 51 birds, creating a genetic bottleneck. Despite the intensive management, the breeding season requires a lot of intervention due to the low numbers.
"Kākāpō are one of the most intensively managed species in the world. While numbers are still so low, the breeding season requires a lot of intervention. Priority goes to the eggs and chicks that are less well-represented across the gene pool, and we have a more hands-off approach with those that are well represented. This helps us understand what a natural breeding season might look like in the future."
Tāne Davis, a Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu representative on the Kākāpō Recovery Group, celebrated the hatching of the first kākāpō chick of the season on Pukenui Anchor Island, emphasizing its significance to Ngāi Tahu.
"Pukenui Anchor Island is crucial for accommodating the growing numbers of kākāpō and other critically endangered taonga species. While it's wonderful to see the kākāpō thriving due to the predator-free status, we must continue our efforts to create safe havens for future chicks."
Looking ahead, Tāne Davis mentioned the goal of returning kākāpō to their original home through Predator Free Rakiura. Until then, the Kākāpō Cam, a live camera streaming from the nest of a female named Rakiura on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island, offers a unique opportunity for people to observe kākāpō in real-time.
The Kākāpō Recovery Programme has been supported since 2016 by National Partner Meridian Energy, with CEO Mike Roan expressing pride in their collaboration with the Department of Conservation during this remarkable growth period.
"We're thrilled to welcome the first kākāpō chick, marking the beginning of what we hope will be a bountiful breeding season. Every chick is a milestone for the species, and we're excited to contribute to their long-term survival."
Background information
Since 1995, the DOC's Kākāpō Recovery Programme and Ngāi Tahu have worked together to rebuild the population from just 51 kākāpō (31 males, 20 females) and have supported the species through 12 breeding seasons, reaching a population high of 252 in 2022.
This breeding season marks the 13th season in 30 years of the programme, as kākāpō breed once every two to four years. The last known breeding trigger was the mast (mass fruiting) of the rimu tree in 2022.
Today, there are 236 adult kākāpō, each equipped with a small backpack radio transmitter for tracking and activity monitoring. The breeding populations are located on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island, Pukenui/Anchor Island, and Te Kāhaku/Chalky Island.
For more information and updates, visit the official kākāpō recovery website or follow the Kākāpō Recovery Group on social media.
