Kākāpō Yasmine hatched an egg fostered from kākāpō Tīwhiri on Saturday, bringing the total number of birds to 237 — although it would not be officially added to the population until it fledged.
Department of Conservation operations manager for kākāpō/takahē Deidre Vercoe said in a statement the first chick of the breeding season was an exciting moment for the critically endangered species.
"These exceptionally rare taonga only breed every two to four years, so it’s a long time between chicks.
"We have more breeding-age birds than ever before this season, so we’re anticipating many more chicks to come."
Ms Vercoe said fostering eggs and chicks between different kākāpō mums was one way 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 already, while Yasmine, an experienced foster mum, had no fertile eggs."
Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu representative on the Kākāpō Recovery Group Tāne Davis said the first chick of the season on Anchor Island was a welcome milestone of special significance to Ngāi Tahu.
"Pukenui Anchor Island serves an important purpose in accommodating the growing numbers of not only kākāpō but other critically endangered taonga species.
"While it is wonderful to see the manu thriving on this island due to its predator-free status, we need to continue our collective efforts to create other safe havens for the chicks of the future," he said.
- Allied Media
