THE 383 near the 29 JAN 2013. 29 JAN born 1992) born 1992) A female called ‘Hoki’ ( called ‘Hoki’ A female Psittaciformes

zygodactyl feet (i.e. with two toes pointing toes with two (i.e. feet zygodactyl backward). and two, forward that inhabit temperate regions. Characteristic Characteristic regions. that inhabit temperate curved strong, include a of parrots features legs and clawed, strong bill, an upright stance, Zealand parrots); the cockatoos the cockatoos parrots); Zealand (New or ‘true’ and the Psittacoidea (Cacatuoidea); among the few are parrots Zealand New parrots. This order contains about 376 in 84 about 376 contains order This and in most tropical found that are genera is subdivided order The regions. subtropical the Strigopoidea superfamilies: three into The Parrots Parrots The order . Kakapo. The bulk of the Island/Whenuahou. summit of Codfish on this island. population is now world THE NEW ZEALAND PARROTS 385 239 239 1.5 kg. ♀ 257–290 mm; 257–290 30 JAN 2013. 30 JAN W While Night is While Night Parrot 2 kg, ♂

WGT refers to the parrot of that name the parrot to refers 84–91 cm;

WS English name Kākā 43.4–58.4 mm; 43.4–58.4 58–64 cm; The female Hoki approaching the track and bowl systems systems and bowl the track Hoki approaching female The BREEDING BIOLOGY one location, in any system; Has a lek-breeding every than once less average) (on breed seems to fruiting of podocarp to related probably 4 years, materials. made of available Nest a platform trees. level. ground below generally cavity, in a natural Site Jan late between eggs, white 1–4 ovate, lays Female the eggs, for incubates Only female and mid-March. semi-altricial, nidicolous; Chicks about 25–30 days. weeks. after 10–12 and fledge female solely by fed BIOMETRICS TL TA NOTES TAXONOMIC Māori name and pō onomatopoeic) (a name that is undoubtedly means ‘night’. this species (Australia it is not unique to evocative, so, macrons English does not have has one too). this transliterate correctly strictly speaking, to  Island/Whenuahou in the moonlight. As of Codfish on top this individual is greener Island/Rakiura Stewart a pure ancestry. than those with Fiordland but now extinct in the wild; semi-captive in the wild; semi-captive extinct but now CODFISH ISLAND/WHENUAHOU; 28 JAN 2013. 28 JAN ISLAND/WHENUAHOU; CODFISH The back and tail of Sinbad showing the contrast between between the contrast Sinbad showing back and tail of The ?  and rectrices and back and the yellow coverts the green remiges. SIMILAR SPECIES FROM SEPARATION Unique and unmistakable. DISTRIBUTION Endemic and Anchor on Codfish population of c. 130 Formerly Island/Rakiura. Islands off Stewart the North, at all altitudes throughout widespread to reintroduced Islands. Recently South and Stewart Gulf. Hauturu/ in the Hauraki CODFISH ISLAND/ CODFISH made at intervals made at intervals and hiss calls, but and hiss ching but examination of but examination 238 skraark with narrower, less domed head; less with narrower, females , VOCALISATIONS hoarse various Makes boom call is low-frequency most extraordinary at a lek in inflating an air sac) males (by made by and kilometres several over travels Boom evening. a hoarse by is accompanied the evening. throughout mottled with brownish grey. Conspicuous facial facial Conspicuous grey. mottled with brownish resembles that of an face so feathers, disc of fine with culmen base bluish Bill mostly cream, owl. dark bill. Iris surround vibrissae delicate grey; to Compared blackish grey. large, feet brown; males cere longer; and proportionally beak narrower slender more and feet and nostrils smaller; legs longer. tail proportionally pinkish grey; and more and show yellow be less in the wild may Females mottling, plumage less this. museum skins does not confirm yellowish, streaked with pale green and weakly and weakly green with pale streaked yellowish, - upper Adult Adult Strigops habroptilus Strigops Strigopoidea

A young (born 1998) male Kakapo, ‘Sinbad’. This bird is from Fiordland and Stewart Island/Rakiura parents and as such is parents Island/Rakiura and Stewart Fiordland is from bird ‘Sinbad’. This (born 1998) male Kakapo, A young  nostrils. and the prominent the face the rictal bristles around Note Island birds. Stewart than some pure yellower 2013. 28 JAN WHENUAHOU; and flanks yellowish green streaked with yellow; yellow; with streaked green yellowish and flanks predominantly undertail, neck and face belly, An extremely large, rotund parrot. parrot. rotund large, An extremely or barred feathers moss-green; parts yellowish tail grey; mottled with black or dark brownish Breast worn. and quickly become pointed feathers years. IDENTIFICATION endangered species, its status exacerbated by the the by its status exacerbated species, endangered and the system lek-breeding a bizarre, having birds in 4 than once less on average, that it breeds, fact Zealand’s famous, giant, nocturnal and giant, nocturnal famous, Zealand’s New extremely but remarkable is a parrot flightless Kākāpō Night Parrot Critically endangered Kakapo Kakapo superfamily Zealand Parrots Parrots Zealand New The name it should be kaakaapoo. Scientific name and Both the generic and specific name were bestowed by George R. Gray in his 1845 Genera of Birds.71 The generic name is from the Ancient Greek στρίξ, meaning ‘owl’, and ὄψ, ‘face’. The specific name is also Ancient Greek, from ἁβρός, which means ‘delicate’, and πτίλον, which originally meant ‘down feathers’ but has later come to mean all feathers. It is presumed that it refers to the soft plumage of this flightless species. Although a separate North Island subspecies (innominatus)  A kakapo chick approaching fledging – note the wisps of 240 grey down, grey face and dark ear. CODFISH ISLAND/WHENUAHOU; was described by Mathews and Iredale, it is not 386 APRIL 2009. recognised. 387 THE NEW ZEALAND PARROTS

New Zealand Kaka meridionalis Kākā Threatened

 An adult kaka foraging on tree daisy (Olearia) buds. ULVA ISLAND, STEWART ISLAND/RAKIURA; 17 NOV 2010. Once the ubiquitous large parrot of the New Zealand forest, this noisy, colourful bird is now rare and con- its traditional range as a result of habitat loss; preda- BREEDING BIOLOGY fined to remote forested areas, some managed areas tion by introduced predators like , possums and Nest simply a scrape in substrate, in hollow trees. (such as mainland islands and fenced sanctuaries) ; and probably competition from wasps and Female lays 3–5 eggs in Sept–March (South Island) and offshore islands. There are two subspecies, for the honeydew excreted by scale insects, and Nov–Dec (North Island). Only female incubates one on the North Island and its offshore islands and which it eats. Restricted to lowland and mid-altitude the eggs, for about 3 weeks. Both parents assist in the other on the South Island and Stewart Island/ native forest. Current strongholds: offshore reserves feeding chicks; fledging takes 69–81 days. In a good Rakiura. of , Codfish Island/Whenuahou and fruiting year, pairs can have 2 clutches, often using Hauturu/Little Barrier Island as well as Stewart same nest hole. Pairs seldom raise more than 3 IDENTIFICATION Island/Rakiura and Fiordland. Has successfully bred chicks in any one clutch.239 A medium-sized, stocky parrot with a prominent, in the fenced sanctuary at Zealandia™ (formerly curved beak. Adults of both subspecies mostly a Karori Wildlife Sanctuary), so commonly seen in BIOMETRICS deep bronze-brown, with body more rufous and Wellington suburbs. Similarly, many birds from Little South Island TL 40–44 cm; WS 80–86 cm; upperwings less bronze. Forehead and crown Barrier spend winter months in North Auckland. W 283–311 cm; TA 33.4–41.5 mm; WGT ♂ 525 g, ♀ greyish white (most prominent in the South Island Successful breeding requires predator-free 490 g; North Island TL 38–42 cm; WS 72–80 cm;

subspecies); nape greyish brown; ear coverts yel-  An adult North Island kaka feeding on a weta it pulled from environment. W 256–285 mm; TA 33.2–38.4 mm; WGT ♂ 450 g, low-brown; lores and throat frequently washed pink. a rotten branch. HAUTURU/LITTLE BARRIER ISLAND; 26 SEPT 2005. ♀ 400 g.239 Underwing coverts prominent, maroon and extend on to thighs and rump. Bill (including cere) and feet SEPARATION FROM SIMILAR SPECIES TAXONOMIC NOTES greyish cream; iris brown, eye ring grey. Juveniles With bad views and when bird is silent, could be Māori name It is a lovely onomatopoeic name. paler than adults due to pale edges of fresh feathers mistaken for . Readily distinguished by calls English name No other good English name has but are best distinguished by prominent yellow cere and by brown (not green) plumage. Kea lack pale ever been proposed and why should one have and eye ring (fades to adult grey over first 2 years). forehead of Kaka; Kaka underwing less striking (dark been? English does not have macrons so, strictly red in Kaka, brilliant day-glow orange in Kea (see speaking, to correctly transliterate this name it VOCALISATIONS photograph, facing page 1)). should be kaakaa. The two subspecies are based Call a distinctive kaa-aaa given in flight or while on morphological and behavioural characteristics perched. Also makes a huge range of yodelling DISTRIBUTION but recent molecular analyses using nuclear whistles. Endemic. Increasingly rare; greatly reduced across allozyme and microsatellite loci show very little THE NEW ZEALAND PARROTS 389

EGLINTON VALLEY, SOUTHLAND; SOUTHLAND; VALLEY, EGLINTON HOMER TUNNEL, SOUTHLAND; 8 NOV 2011. 8 NOV HOMER TUNNEL, SOUTHLAND; An immature showing a pale centre of the cere but of the cere a pale centre showing An immature A juvenile playing with a car tyre. Kea are cheeky, tame cheeky, are Kea with a car tyre. playing A juvenile  lost the pale crown. having  trouble. into get that frequently birds 25 FEB 2009. - HOMER TUNNEL, SOUTHLAND; 8 NOV 2011. 8 NOV HOMER TUNNEL, SOUTHLAND; and associated screeches. screeches. and associated kee-ahh South Island high country from from South Island high country

to the to An adult with a dark cere and dark cap. and dark cap. An adult with a dark cere  VOCALISATIONS Call a distinctive calls so distinct in Kaka. none of the yodelling Makes SIMILAR SPECIES FROM SEPARATION dis readily but Kaka only with be confused Could (not brown) green Kea’s calls and by tinguished by Kaka Kaka; of lack pale forehead Kea plumage. brilliant in Kaka, red striking (dark underwing less in Kea). orange day-glow DISTRIBUTION Endemic Fiordland to Nelson and Marlborough. Breeds Breeds Nelson and Marlborough. to Fiordland down m a.s.l., coming 760 above almost exclusively snow. only after heavy Coast the West to simply resembles resembles , meaning specific name

is also the Juvenile ULVA ISLAND, STEWART ISLAND/ STEWART ISLAND, ULVA about 5% larger than about 5% larger septentrionalis and is simply Medieval and is simply Medieval Male septem triones septem 38 Meridionalis The name The 241 , but otherwise similar. , but otherwise similar. Systema Naturae Systema An adult South Island kaka showing the conspicuous pale the conspicuous showing An adult South Island kaka  of the southern subspecies. crown 2010. RAKIURA; 17 NOV Ursa Major or Minor). Ursa among the smartest of all birds. The among the smartest of all birds. volume Johann Gmelin in his 1788 by bestowed was of his ‘southern’. Latin for the South Island subspecies. subspecies epithet for described by North Island subspecies was The in 1896. Lorenz of stars indicating the seven oxen’, plough ‘seven means ‘northern’ in Medieval Latin (which in turn Latin (which means ‘northern’ in Medieval the phrase from comes adults, but eye ring and cere yellow, and mandible yellow, and cere ring adults, but eye over grey that becomes and legs orange-yellow about 2 years. narrow, curved bill and predominantly olive-green olive-green bill and predominantly curved narrow, underwing orange and striking, day-glow plumage of primaries light blue. Tail inner webs coverts; with a green uppertail emerald short, broad; when fresh; end that is tipped yellow smudgy brown with yellow-orange, of inner tail feathers undersides dark olive-brown; stripes. Ear coverts transverse ring and eye bill (including cere), iris dark brown; grey. steel legs and feet female was was in his based on

168 Traité Psitticus nestor Psitticus Νέστωρ Γερήνιος Νέστωρ Scientific name and HAUTURU/LITTLE BARRIER ISLAND; 21 SEPT 2010. ISLAND; 21 BARRIER HAUTURU/LITTLE The generic name was proposed by René René by proposed name was generic The Nestor notabilis Nestor In Greek mythology, mythology, In Greek a medium-sized, stocky parrot with a long, parrot stocky a medium-sized, 51 .

An adult North Island kaka showing the dark crown of the the dark crown showing An adult North Island kaka

that Latham’s use of the name referred to the grey- to use of the name referred that Latham’s of the and not the wisdom of the Kaka headedness is that Kea has shown work recent In fact, . Johns Latham’s 1790 usage of 1790 usage Johns Latham’s Index king of Pylos. It is believed the wise, grey-headed size differences described. differences size taxonomy of his in the 1830 volume Lesson genetic differentiation between them. We prefer to We prefer them. between differentiation genetic the significant subspecies given maintain the two  northern subspecies. Adult Adult and to tourists who have parked their cars in their cars parked who have tourists and to them. damage and then had Kea alpine car parks IDENTIFICATION This is the playful, intelligent mountain parrot parrot mountain intelligent is the playful, This skied in the South Island all who have to familiar Kea Threatened Kea Kea THE PARROTS 388 THE COCKATOOS 391 cage escapees. Sulphur- cage KU-RIN-GAI CHASE NATIONAL PARK, NEW SOUTH NEW SOUTH PARK, CHASE NATIONAL KU-RIN-GAI introduced introduced An adult Sulphur-crested cockatoo. Note the yellow wash wash the yellow Note cockatoo. An adult Sulphur-crested  on the wings and tail. SEPT 2009; SIMON FORDHAM. 12 WALES; DISTRIBUTION Probably with established populations in the cockatoo crested near Wanganui Valley in the Turakina Raglan area, be seen in may stragglers Peninsula; and on Banks have vagrants genuine districts. Possibly nearby Coast. Northland and the West from been reported and flocks only south of Auckland Galah found on and Clevedon, at Bombay been reported have Sulphur-crested Island and at Mangatawhiri. Ponui and northern in eastern Australia found cockatoo throughout Guinea; Galah found and on New - - and Juvenile , dirty apricot in apricot , dirty best recognised by by best recognised and a polysyllabic and a polysyllabic males a stocky, medium-sized medium-sized a stocky,

Chet , and a yodelling whistle, , and a yodelling a large, noisy, entirely bril entirely noisy, a large, Galah immature squawk (up to 12 syllables); also makes a also makes 12 syllables); (up to and and Cacatuoidea

Eolophus roseicapillus Eolophus best recognised by smaller crest, and pale smaller crest, by best recognised Juvenile screech . These two, highly familiar Australian cage birds have have birds cage Australian highly familiar two, These established small populations in iso years in recent partslated of the North Island and, in the case of the Peninsula. Banks around cockatoo, Sulphur-crested is but there feral both species are that It is believed that some if not all and it is equally possible no proof self-introductions. natural these represent IDENTIFICATION cockatoo Sulphur-crested striking, sulphur yellow for except parrot liant white of and wash during social interactions) (raised crest Bill steel on undertail and behind ear. sulphur yellow pale grey. iris black; legs and feet grey; The Cockatoos Cockatoos The superfamily Cockatoo Sulphur-crested galerita Cacatua introduction Localised Galah introduction Localised Both species extremely vocal. Cockatoo makes harsh, harsh, makes Cockatoo vocal. Both species extremely raucous immature and legs and feet. cere back and feathers, wings, flight grey with slate parrot neck and underwing coverts face, uppertail; breast, and lores crest pink; undertail black. Crown, apricot in adult ring orange Eye white. females ring. and pale pink eye smaller crest VOCALISATIONS as well as various croaks, barks and rasps. Galah’s Galah’s and rasps. barks croaks, various as as well call a disyllabic commonest a-choo-choo-choo of crest. raising by call accompanied screeching SIMILAR SPECIES FROM SEPARATION other New any for be mistaken Neither could bird. Zealand and is Classical and is Classical 243 The specific name was specific name The 244 name and taxonomy name and taxonomy John Gould in 1856 by bestowed extraordinary, conspicuous, ‘noteworthy, Latin for appropriate. notable’ – all of which are memorable, Palaeontological has been noted. No variation in the occurred the species once shows evidence North Island.

Scientific 239 780 g. 780 ♀ 314–331 mm; HOMER TUNNEL, SOUTHLAND. HOMER TUNNEL, SOUTHLAND. W 960 g, ♂

WGT 86–88 cm; HOMER TUNNEL, SOUTHLAND; 27 JAN 2007. JAN 27 HOMER TUNNEL, SOUTHLAND; WS No other good English name has ever has ever English name No other good It is undoubtedly onomatopoeic. It is undoubtedly 242

41.6–51.2 mm; mm; 41.6–51.2 46–50 cm; A juvenile showing the spectacular scarlet and yellow the spectacular scarlet and yellow showing A juvenile A juvenile with a yellow cere, lower mandible and eye ring ring mandible and eye lower cere, with a yellow A juvenile

proposed, and why should one have been? should one have and why proposed, TAXONOMIC NOTES TAXONOMIC Māori name English name TL TA period 94 days. May be polygynous but this is be polygynous May days. period 94 disputed. BIOMETRICS lichens, moss, ferns and rotting wood. Female lays lays Female wood. and rotting ferns lichens, moss, Only female eggs, in July–Jan. white ovate, 2–5 Fledging 21 days. around the eggs, for incubates large beech trees, in rock crevices or dug burrows or dug burrows crevices in rock beech trees, large 1–6-m long by Nests accessed roots. between chamber lined with a larger tunnels leading into BREEDING BIOLOGY underneath usually on the ground Nest sites  underwings of adults and juveniles. 3 FEB 2013.  of this age. typical THE PARROTS 390