Advertise on podcast: Kākāpō Files II

The Kākāpō Files returns for a second season, to follow everyone’s favourite parrot through what is predicted to be the biggest breeding season on record. Host Alison Ballance and Our Changing World’s Claire Concannon chat about what exactly is a kākāpō, discuss the conservation history of this endangered bird through the life story of two kākāpō, and discover just how big this breeding season might be. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to [email protected] In this episode: 00:00 – What is a kākāpō and how rare are they? 06:32 – Kākāpō names, from Zephyr to Acheron, and a brief conservation history 14:29 – Rimu masting and the 2026 breeding season 22:25 – Kākāpō trivia 24:12 – Closing credits Learn more: Follow the Kākāpō Files podcast to keep up to date.Want to start the new series prepared with all the backstory? Listen to the Voice of the Kākāpō series for a recap of the 2019 breeding season. Then listen to the episodes covering the interim 2022 breeding season, and about how a few male kākāpō have fared in the North Island, in the fenced Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari.For more New Zealand science and nature find and follow the Our Changing World podcast, and subscribe to the show’s monthly newsletter.Guests: Claire Concannon, Our Changing WorldReferences: “Kākāpō: Rescued from the Brink of Extinction” by Alison Ballance (published 2018) Kākāpō Files is made in collaboration with the Department of Conservation’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

It’s the summer solstice and we are waiting for kākāpō breeding to begin. Alison Ballance chats with island ranger Maddy Whittaker, who reports that on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island all the male kākāpō are in full voice, booming all night to attract the females, who haven’t shown any interest yet. The action hasn’t yet ramped up on Anchor Island. Alison also meets three key people from the Kākāpō Team, and hears about their first-ever kākāpō encounters. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to [email protected] In this episode: 00:00 – Introduction 00:42 – Kākāpō ranger Maddy Whittaker with updates on what the male birds are up to on the islands 05:09 – Technical Officer Daryl Eason talks about his first kākāpō encounter and what makes these birds so unique 09:41 – Operations Manager of the Kākāpō Recovery Programme Deidre Vercoe remembers her first kākāpō meeting 13:44 – Science Advisor Andrew Digby talks about meeting his first kākāpō 16:00 – Daryl Eason predicts when the breeding season might begin… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

It’s nearly the New Year and we’re counting down to the start of a big kākāpō breeding season. Island ranger Maddy Whittaker tells Alison Ballance that Pearl and Boss are the first kākāpō to mate. Deidre Vercoe, operations manager for the Kākāpō Team, explains that kākāpō mums on Whenua Hou will get wrap-round support, while management on Anchor Island and Te Kakahu/Chalky Island will be more hands-off. Scientist Andrew Digby talks about the role of technology in making this possible, and digs into the kākāpō’s boring gut microbiome. Technical advisor Daryl Eason introduces founder female Margaret-Maree, matriarch of a lineage with five living generations. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to [email protected] In this episode: 00:00 – Introduction 00:53 – Kākāpō ranger Maddy Whittaker with news that Pearl and Boss on Whenua Hou are the first kākāpō to mate. 06:02 – Operations Manager of the Kākāpō Recovery Programme Deidre Vercoe explains that kākāpō mums on Whenua Hou will get wrap-round support, while management on Anchor Island and Te Kakahu / Chalky Island will be more hands-off. 10:08 – Science Advisor Andrew Digby talks about the role of technology and the kākāpō’s dull microbiome. 13:24 – Technical Advisor Daryl Eason introduces Margaret-Maree, matriarch of a dynasty with five living generations. 16:18 – Closing credits… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

It’s the New Year and we’re in the early days of a big kākāpō breeding season. Daryl Eason from the Kākāpō Team tells Alison Ballance that Esperance and Ian are the second kākāpō to mate, and he expects that any minute now there will be plenty more birds mating. The kākāpō population drops to 236 birds. Science advisor Andrew Digby explains why every living kākāpō has had its genome sequenced, and what genes can reveal – including why some kākāpō have olive feathers and others are bright green. And we meet over-achievers Flossie and Blades. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to [email protected] In this episode: 00:00 – Introduction 00:38 – Daryl Eason with news of the second mating of the season, what Pearl is up to and a death 05:10 – Andrew Digby talks genomes and feather colour 12:10 – Super breeders Flossie and Blades 14:08 - Closing credits 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 listen to the episodes covering the interim 2022 breeding season, and about how a few male kākāpō have fared in the North Island, in the fenced Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari.For more New Zealand science and nature find and follow the Our Changing World podcast, and subscribe to the show’s monthly newsletter.Guests: Andrew Digby, Science Advisor, Kākāpō Recovery ProgrammeDaryl Eason, Technical Advisor, Kākāpō Recovery ProgrammeKākāpō Files is made in collaboration with the Department of Conservation’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Early bird Pearl has laid the first eggs of the 2026 kākāpō breeding season but Kākāpō Recovery Programme science advisor Andrew Digby tells Alison Ballance that it’s too soon to know if they are fertile. Youngsters Huhū and Hondy are the third pair to mate on Whenua Hou, and Heather and Bluster Murphy are the fourth. Hine Taumai and Henry are the first to mate on Anchor Island. Technical advisor Daryl Eason explains the use of artificial insemination (AI), and we find out why it is a useful genetics tool and what the AI team are up to in the field. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to [email protected] In this episode: 00:00 – Introduction 02:10 – Mating updates 08.48 – Discussion about using artificial insemination (AI) 15:28 – Andrew reports on the first AI efforts for this breeding season. 20:51 – Closing credits 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 listen to the episodes covering the interim 2022 breeding season, and about how a few male kākāpō have fared in the North Island, in the fenced Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari.For more New Zealand science and nature find and follow the Our Changing World podcast, and subscribe to the show’s monthly newsletter.Guests: Andrew Digby, Science Advisor, Kākāpō Recovery ProgrammeDaryl Eason, Technical Advisor, Kākāpō Recovery ProgrammeKākāpō Files is made in collaboration with the Department of Conservation’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

There have been 24 kākāpō matings so far, and the number is increasing as mating action heats up on all three breeding islands. Deidre Vercoe, from the Kākāpō Recovery Programme, tells Alison Ballance that some 7-year-old birds from the 2019 breeding season have mated for the first time. The first female to mate this season, Pearl, has laid infertile eggs, but nightly activity monitoring shows that three more females have started nesting. Technical Advisor Daryl Eason talks about the under-achievers, founder kākāpō that either haven’t bred at all or have produced only a few chicks. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to [email protected] In this episode: 00:00 – Introduction 00:51 – Mating updates 03:06 - Nesting updates 06:27 - Artificial insemination progress 10:40 - Male under-achievers 14:09 - Female under-achievers 15:26 - Closing credits 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 listen to the episodes covering the interim 2022 breeding season, and about how a few male kākāpō have fared in the North Island, in the fenced Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari.For more New Zealand science and nature find and follow the Our Changing World podcast, and subscribe to the show’s monthly newsletter.Guests: Andrew Digby, Science Advisor, Kākāpō Recovery ProgrammeDaryl Eason, Technical Advisor, Kākāpō Recovery ProgrammeKākāpō Files is made in collaboration with the Department of Conservation’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The 2026 kākāpō breeding season is all systems go: nearly half of the females of breeding age have mated and so far 15 females are nesting. Technical Advisor Daryl Eason talks about record-breaking female Ongaonga who, at 4 years-old, is the youngest female kākāpō ever to breed. There are plenty of other first-time breeders as well. Six females were successfully inseminated with sperm from under-represented males. Ranger Maddy Whitaker updates us with the latest numbers, including a single fertile egg so far, and tech expert Jake Osborne introduces the kākāpō nest cam, beaming live from Rakiura’s nest on Whenua Hou. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to [email protected]. In this episode: 00:00 – Introduction 01:25 - Youngest female to mate 04:53 - Daryl Eason on Artificial insemination progress 09:17 - Maddy Whittaker with mating and nesting updates 16:00 - Jake Osborne on the kākāpō nest cam 20:32 - Closing credits… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

More than three-quarters of female kākāpō of breeding age have mated so far, and the number of nests is growing rapidly. Kākāpō operations manager Deidre Vercoe tells Alison Ballance that 101 eggs have been laid to date, and while it is early days 38 eggs are known to be fertile. As always, infertile eggs are a major problem, although science advisor Andrew Digby explains that recent research shows that many eggs are in fact fertilised but die in the first day or two. And Deidre says that the Kākāpō Recovery Programme takes threats such as the fungal disease aspergillosis, failure of the rimu fruit to ripen and the possible arrival of highly pathogenic bird flu in New Zealand very seriously. Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to [email protected]. In this episode: 00:00 – Introduction 00:57 – Mating update 03.28 – Nesting update and 101 eggs 09:13 – Bird of the Week: Kākāpō Cam star Rakiura 10:34 – Egg infertility 12:12 – Threats including aspergillosis and bird flu 14:15 - Closing credits… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

In 2019 Alison Ballance followed the bumpy, rollercoaster ride that was the kākāpō breeding season. Now she returns, six years on, to do it all over again. We'll meet familiar characters, of both the human and bird kind, as well as new faces. Will the chicks born in 2019 start to breed? How will the team fare with a more hands-off approach? Will the deadly aspergillosis that surfaced in 2019 return? And with the rimu mast predicted to be big, could this be the most successful breeding season yet? First episode drops 16th December. Don't miss it. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The kākāpō is one of the world's rarest birds, and in the first episode of the Kākāpō Files we learn about the giant flightless parrot's 'love triangle.' Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

In episode 2 of the Kākāpō Files we find out that when it comes to kākāpō breeding the early birds are, well, very early. It's the summer solstice, and things are definitely hotting up in the kākāpō world. DOC's Kākāpō Recovery Programme scientist Andrew Digby says there is lots of booming action amongst the male kākāpō on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island. And manager Deidre Vercoe has some breaking news about a pair of early birds, Pearl and Boss. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Kākāpō breeding action really kicked off on Christmas Eve and in episode 3 of the Kākāpō Files we discover it is in full swing. Let's not be coy about this. Lots of kākāpō are having lots of kākāpō sex. And the first eggs of the 2019 kākāpō breeding season have been laid. DOC's Kākāpō Recovery Programme manager Deidre Vercoe couldn't be happier. She says the kākāpō breeding season on Fiordland's Anchor Island got fully underway on Christmas Eve, and is in full swing. More than half of the 21 young kākāpō female on Anchor Island have already mated, and island rangers confirmed on the 2nd of January that the first eggs have been laid in two nests, belonging to Waa and Waikawa. Deidre says she is particularly pleased that Kuia, a female with important Fiordland genes, has mated with several different males. Mating with multiple males significantly increases the chances that eggs will be fertile. Meanwhile, down on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island, the female Pearl is incubating three eggs, and other birds have started mating. Kākāpō scientist Andrew Digby says that it is too early to know if Pearl's eggs are fertile, but island rangers will be checking their fertility in a day or two. Andrew says it is good news that Nora, one of the founder birds from Stewart Island, has mated. She successfully bred for the first time in more than 30 years during the 2016 breeding season. Unfortunately the death of Piripi, another founder bird, lowers the total kākāpō population to 147. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Don't count your kākāpō chicks until they hatch, kākāpō leaky homes and lots more kākāpō sex, all in episode 4 of the Kākāpō Files. The 2019 kākāpō breeding season continues at breakneck speed. Nineteen of 21 females on Anchor Island have mated and are starting to nest. Down on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island, the action is also hotting up - but there is some disappointing news from Pearl's nest. In episode four of the Kākāpō Files, we find out the truth behind the old saying 'don't count your eggs until they hatch', and we hear about leaky homes when it comes to kākāpō nests. Kākāpō ranger Brodie Philp and kākāpō technical advisor Daryl Eason have just returned from Anchor Island and we catch up with them for all the latest news. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The most popular kākāpō males will get a chance to do it all over again as the females are encouraged to mate and nest for a second time, in episode 5 of the Kākāpō Files. How are the male kākāpō measuring up in the popularity stakes with the females? Young male Tākitimu is super-stud of the year... so far. And the Kākāpō Recovery Team from the Department of Conservation are going to try a radical approach to making as many kākāpō babies as possible - they'll hand-rear the first batch of chicks and hope the females nest again. Being courageous and inventive has helped the Kākāpō Recovery Team increase the kākāpō population from 51 birds to 147 birds in just over 20 years, and they are out to make the most of this bumper breeding season. Manager Deidre Vercoe says they plan to get every female to renest. She says they do this by removing eggs from the nest, which usually prompts the female to mate and lay again. Deidre says they can do this because it is such an early breeding season, and the hope is that it will boost the number of chicks produced. Renesting was tried with 12 females in the 2016 breeding season and eight females successfully nested a second time. To date, 19 out of 21 females on Anchor Island have nested, and the island rangers have found 16 nests. Unfortunately around half of all kākāpō eggs are infertile, and that is the case so far, out of more than 30 eggs already laid. The breeding season on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island is several weeks behind Anchor Island. Twenty one out of 29 females have mated, and the island rangers have found 4 nests so far. Deidre says that the first female to nest, Pearl, has already mated again, after her nest was abandoned following an altercation with a petrel. Kakapo scientist Andrew Digby says that while all the male kākāpō are booming well, only a few of them will successfully attract a female to mate with. But a small number of birds - the super-studs -will be very successful. So far this breeding season, success seems to be running in the family. Sixteen-year-old Tākitimu, on Anchor Island, is the most successful male to date, having mated 11 times with six different females. His father Basil is also high in the popularity stakes: six matings with three different females. Meet Pearl and Boss Pearl hatched in 2002. Her mum is Alice and dad is Waynebo. She started breeding when she was nearly 7 years old. Her first two chicks from the 2009 breeding season were Jemma and Juanma. They have a place in kākāpō history as they were fathered through artificial insemination. Pearl is a good mother. In 2016 she produced three more chicks - Attenborough, Punga and Faulkner… Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Forty eight out of fifty kākāpō females on the southern islands have mated, nesting is well underway and the first AI has been carried out, all in episode 6 of the Kākāpō Files. It's nearly a full sweep on the southern kākāpō islands, with 48 out of 50 females having mated - a record number. All of the females on Anchor Island have nested, and on both Anchor and Whenua Hou the Kākāpō Recovery Team is bringing in eggs for hand rearing, in the hope that females will mate again. The Sperm Team has also begun work, collecting sperm from genetically desirable males to allow artificial insemination of some equally important females, giving the species a genetic helping hand. The kākāpō team is rushed off its feet, keeping up with the busy birds. It's a full house on Anchor Island, where all 21 females have mated - and nested. The egg tally there is a mighty 75, but so far only 19 of the eggs that have been checked have been found to be fertile. Some eggs are too young to determine whether they are fertile yet. The island rangers on Anchor Island are working to bring all the fertile eggs to the hut to be incubated, freeing females up for a second nesting attempt. On Whenua Hou/Codfish Island, 27 out of 29 females have mated so far. Hoki - the first kākāpō to be hand-reared, back in 1992 - has not mated yet, and neither has Mahli. Mahli is almost 5 years old, and very young, but her sister Tohu has just mated. The Whenua Hou rangers have so far brought 10 fertile eggs down to the hut, to be artificially incubated in the nursery Portacom next to the hut. Senior technical officer Daryl Eason and the Sperm Team have begun collecting sperm from males with desirable genetic traits. The sperm is used to artificially inseminate females, a job which can be undertaken about 3-7 days after a female has mated. Daryl says AI has several aims: the more times a female mates, the greater the likelihood that her eggs will be fertile. It is also an opportunity to pass on genes from the founder males which either haven't bred at all or have only produced a small number of chicks. So far, Daryl says they have collected a good sperm sample from Luke, a Stewart Island bird with no offspring. It has been used to artificially inseminate Jean, a Stewart Island female with only three offspring. Daryl reports that Gulliver, one of two males with desirable Fiordland genes, has just mated with two females on the same night, including Tohu. Update 28 January 2019 Hoki has mated, bringing the number of females who have mated to 49 out of 50. So far, 119 eggs have been laid. Of these, 36 are fertile, 64 are infertile and 19 have yet to have their fertility confirmed. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details