New Zealand’s endangered bird Kākāpō population jumps to 325 after 90 chicks join count, but a new problem emerges

A bird that once seemed destined to disappear from New Zealand’s forests has reached a remarkable conservation milestone. The country’s critically endangered kākāpō population has climbed to 325, after 90 chicks from the latest breeding season were added to the official count. But the success has created a new problem for conservationists: finding enough predator-free habitat for a growing population.

Kākāpō population rises from 51 to 325

The latest population figure was confirmed on September 1, when New Zealand’s Department of Conservation (DOC) added 90 chicks born during the 2026 breeding season. The young birds had reached 150 days of age, the point at which they are considered independent enough to be included in the official population count.

That takes the population from just 51 birds in 1995 to 325 today. At the beginning of the recovery programme, only 20 of the 51 surviving kākāpō were females. The milestone is especially significant because DOC says the population may not have exceeded 300 for around 75 years. “We had a four-year gap between breeding seasons, so it’s fantastic to finally see the population increase after all that time,” Deidre Vercoe, Kākāpō Recovery Operations Manager, said in the department’s announcement.

90 chicks in one season marks a major turnaround

The 2026 breeding season was unusually productive. DOC says it was the largest single-season increase in the modern recovery programme, with Vercoe noting that it took 16 years to produce as many chicks during the programme’s early years as were added this year alone. The breeding success was helped by abundant rimu fruit. Kākāpō reproduction is closely linked to these periods of heavy fruit production, known as mast years. Because the trees do not produce large crops every year, kākāpō generally breed only every few years.

The 2026 season followed a four-year gap, making the addition of 90 young birds particularly important for a species whose population cannot grow steadily from one year to the next. The Economic Times noted that DOC has recorded only 13 breeding seasons since the recovery programme began in 1995.

Why did kākāpō become so endangered?

Kākāpō are unusual parrots. They are flightless, nocturnal and the world's heaviest parrots, characteristics that evolved in New Zealand before mammalian predators were introduced. The arrival of animals such as rats, cats and stoats created a devastating threat. Because kākāpō spend much of their lives on the ground and cannot fly away from danger, introduced predators could attack both adults and chicks.

Conservationists eventually moved surviving birds to predator-controlled offshore islands. According to DOC, the modern population now lives primarily on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island, Pukenui/Anchor Island and Chalky Island, while smaller trials are taking place at other protected locations.

More kākāpō means more safe space is needed

The population increase is a conservation success, but it has also highlighted a growing challenge: there are not enough suitable predator-free places for kākāpō to expand naturally. DOC describes finding new habitat as the species' “most pressing challenge”. One long-term goal is to make Rakiura/Stewart Island safe enough for kākāpō to return. The island was once an important home for the species, but introduced predators contributed to its decline there.

Tāne Davis, a Ngāi Tahu representative on the Kākāpō Recovery Group, said the programme's ambition is to eventually see kākāpō return to their ancestral home. “All but one of the founders of the modern population came from Rakiura,” he said, describing its return as a key aspiration.

Conservationists are beginning to step back

Another sign of progress is that conservationists are experimenting with less intensive management. During the latest breeding season, the recovery programme reduced some egg and chick checks by using remote nest-monitoring technology and cut back supplementary feeding in some cases.

Davis said the programme is increasingly trying to identify where intensive intervention is necessary and where kākāpō can begin experiencing “more natural levels” of breeding outcomes. That transition will be gradual. Every bird still matters enormously to a species with such a small population and limited genetic diversity.

A comeback that is still unfinished

The jump from 51 kākāpō to 325 is one of New Zealand's notable conservation recoveries, but it is not the end of the story. The species remains critically endangered and dependent on carefully protected habitat. The next breeding season could potentially arrive as early as 2028, according to DOC. For now, the 90 chicks represent more than a record breeding season. They are evidence that decades of predator control, monitoring, breeding management and community support can move a species away from the edge of extinction. The next challenge will be ensuring that New Zealand has enough safe forests and islands for those 325 kākāpō and future generations to thrive.