New Zealand Kaka

New Zealand Kaka
A pair
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Psittaciformes
Family:	Strigopidae
Tribe:	Nestorini
Genus:	Nestor
Species:	N. meridionalis
Binomial name
Nestor meridionalis (Gmelin, 1788)
Range in green

In flight

The New Zealand Kaka, also known as Kākā, (Nestor meridionalis) is a New Zealand parrot endemic to the native forests of New Zealand.

Description

The New Zealand Kaka is a medium sized parrot, measuring 45 cm (18 in) in length and weighing from 390 to 560 g (14 to 20 oz), with an average of 452 g (1.00 lb).^[2] It is closely related to the Kea, but has darker plumage and is more arboreal. The forehead and crown are greyish-white and the nape is greyish-brown. The neck and abdomen are more reddish, while the wings are more brownish. Both sub-species have a strongly patterned brown/green/grey plumage with orange and scarlet flashes under the wings; color variants which show red to yellow coloration especially on the breast are sometimes found.

This group of parrots is unusual, retaining more primitive features lost in most other parrots, because it split off from the rest around 100 million years ago[1].

The calls include a harsh ka-aa and a whistling u-wiia.^[3]

Distribution and habitat

The New Zealand Kaka lives in lowland and mid-altitude native forest. Its strongholds are currently the offshore reserves of Kapiti Island, Codfish Island and Little Barrier Island. It is breeding rapidly in the mainland island sanctuary at Zealandia (Karori Wildlife Sanctuary), with over 100 chicks hatched since their reintroduction in 2002.^[4]

Behaviour

The New Zealand Kaka, like many parrots, uses its feet to hold its food

Kaka are mainly arboreal and occupy mid to high canopy. Often seen flying across valleys or calling from the top of emergent trees. They are very gregarious and move in large flocks often containing Kea where present.

Diet

The New Zealand Kaka feeds on fruits, berries, seeds, flowers, buds, nectar, sap and invertebrates. It uses its strong beak to shred the cones of the kauri tree to obtain the seeds.^[5] It has a brush tongue with which it feeds on nectar, and it uses its strong beak to dig out the grubs of the Huhu beetle.

Nesting

New Zealand Kaka make their nests in hollow trees, laying clutches of 2 to 4 eggs in late winter. Both parents assist in feeding the chicks. In a good fruiting year pairs can double clutch often utilizing the same nest hole for the second clutch. It is unusual for a pair to raise more than three chicks in a clutch.

Taxonomy and naming

The New Zealand Kaka was described by German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1788. There are two subspecies, the North Island kākā, Nestor meridionalis septentrionalis, and the South Island kākā, N. m. meridionalis. The name kākā is a Māori language word meaning "parrot" <kā, 'to screech'.^[6] .

A North Island Kaka at Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, Wellington, New Zealand

Classification

The genus Nestor contains four species:

• the New Zealand Kaka, N. meridionalis
• the Kea, N. notabilis
• the Norfolk Island Kaka, N. productus †
• the Chatham Island Kaka, N. sp. †

Origins

All four are thought to stem from a 'proto-kākā', dwelling in the forests of New Zealand 5 million years ago.^[7][8] The closest relative is the Kākāpō (Strigops habroptila).^{[7][8][9][10]} Together, they form the parrot family Strigopidae, which comprises an ancient group that split off from all other Psittacidae 100 million years ago, before their radiation.^[7][8][10]

Conservation status

The New Zealand Kaka is considered vulnerable (CITES II). It has greatly declined across its traditional range as a result of habitat loss; predation by introduced predators like rats, possums and stoats; and competition from wasps and bees for the honeydew excreted by scale insects. A closely related species, Nestor productus, the Norfolk Island Kaka, became extinct in 1851 for similar reasons.

Predation

Predatory mammals are responsible for the loss of an estimated 26 million native birds and their eggs each year in New Zealand.^[11]

As cavity nesters with a long incubation period that requires the mother to stay on the nest for at least 90 days, Kaka are particularly vulnerable to predation. Stoats were the main cause of death of nesting adult females, nestlings and fledglings, but possums were also important predators of adult females, eggs and nestlings.^[12] There is strong evidence that predation of chicks and females has led to a serious age and sex imbalance, even amongst ostensibly healthy populations.^[13]

In parts of the country, the Department of Conservation and local conservation groups have attempted to control predators of Kaka through the use of traps, ground baiting and the aerial deployment of sodium fluoroacetate. Where pest control has been carried out, there has been significant recovery of Kaka populations. For example, in Pureora Forest Park 20 Kaka were radio-tracked in an area to be treated with aerial 1080 in 2001. In nearby Waimanoa Forest, which was not to be treated with 1080, nine Kaka were radio-tracked. In the area where 1080 was used, all 20 birds survived that season. Of the nine birds tagged in the untreated area, five were killed by predators that same season.^[14]

Competition

Research has shown that honeydew is very important for breeding birds, especially those breeding in southern beech forests. The difficult nature of controlling the wasps makes the New Zealand Kaka's future very uncertain.

References

1. ^ BirdLife International (2005). Nestor meridionalis. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is endangered.
2. ^ CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (1992), ISBN 978-0849342585.
3. ^ Falla RA, Sibson RB & Turbot EG (1966) A Field guide to the birds of New Zealand. Collins, London (ISBN 0-00-212022-4)
4. ^ "Karori Sanctuary Trust timeline including species releases". http://www.sanctuary.org.nz/Site/About_us/Key_achievements_and_wildlife_releases.aspx. Retrieved 2009-08-23. 
5. ^ "Agathis australis, Kauri". Bushmans Friend. http://www.bushmansfriend.co.nz/content.asp?PageID=17761&orgfn=content. Retrieved 2007-08-27. 
6. ^ "Entry for kā on yourdictionary.com". http://www.yourdictionary.com/kaka. 
7. ^ ^{a b c} Wright, T.F.; Schirtzinger E. E., Matsumoto T., Eberhard J. R., Graves G. R., Sanchez J. J., Capelli S., Muller H., Scharpegge J., Chambers G. K. & Fleischer R. C. (2008). "A Multilocus Molecular Phylogeny of the Parrots (Psittaciformes): Support for a Gondwanan Origin during the Cretaceous". Mol Biol Evol 25 (10): 2141–2156. doi:10.1093/molbev/msn160. PMC 2727385. PMID 18653733. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=2727385. 
8. ^ ^{a b c} Grant-Mackie, E.J.; J.A. Grant-Mackie, W.M. Boon & G.K. Chambers (2003). "Evolution of New Zealand Parrots". NZ Science Teacher 103. 
9. ^ Juniper, T., Parr, M. (1998) Parrots: A guide to parrots of the world. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press (ISBN 0-300-07453-0)
10. ^ ^{a b} de Kloet, R.S.; de Kloet, S.R. (2005). The evolution of the spindlin gene in birds: sequence analysis of an intron of the spindlin W and Z gene reveals four major divisions of the Psittaciformes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 36: 706–721.
11. ^ "Landcare Reserch scientist John Innes talks about the extent of predation by introduced mammalian predators" (video interview). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGof7hotXco. Retrieved 11 August 2011. 
12. ^ Taylor et al., G. (2009). Effect of controlling introduced predators on kaka (Nestor meridionalis)in the Rotoiti Nature Recovery Project. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGof7hotXco. 
13. ^ New Zealand Journal of Ecology 22(1). 1998. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGof7hotXco. 
14. ^ "The use of 1080 for pest control - Outcomes for bird populations". Department of Conservation. http://www.doc.govt.nz/publications/conservation/threats-and-impacts/animal-pests/the-use-of-1080-for-pest-control/5-outcomes-of-1080-use/5_1-outcomes-for-bird-populations/. Retrieved 11 August 2011. 

Further reading

• Kaka 'back from the brink' after Fiordland 1080 operation takes out predators Department of Conservation website 28 April 2011
• 1080 drop boosts Waitutu kaka Southland Times website 27 April 2011
• Pureora Forest kaka demonstrate benefits of using 1080 poison Waikato Regional Council website
• kaka and 1080 poison 1080: The Facts website (a public education initiative by Forest and Bird and Federated Farmers
• Effects of a 1080 operation on kaka and kereru survival and nesting success, Whirinaki Forest Park, Powlesland et al (PDF, 400kb) New Zealand Journal of Ecology (2003) 27(2): 125-137
• Effect of controlling introduced predators on kaka in Rotoiti Nature Recovery Project Published on the Department of Conservation website, April 2011
• Project Kaka - a joint Department of Conservation and Animal Health Board initiative to restore kaka to the Tararua ranges
• Possum-killing poison helps protect New Zealand parrot Scientific American website
• Pest control helps kaka (video) Department of Conservation video

External links

• World Parrot Trust Parrot Encyclopedia - Species Profiles
• BirdLife Species Factsheet.
• Kaka (New Zealand Department of Conservation)
• KakaWatchNZ website - A site dedicated to kaka distribution in the upper North Island of New Zealand
• Kaka on NZ Birds website www.NZbirds.com
• Kaka factfile on ZEALANDIA website www.visitzealandia.com