Overview
New Zealand’s Department of Conservation has launched a live stream of Rakiura, a 23-year-old Kākāpō parrot, nesting in her traditional underground site. The stream allows viewers to witness the endangered species’ critical breeding season in real-time, showing her first egg laid on January 22nd.
Key Points
- Live stream of endangered Kākāpō breeding - provides unprecedented access to witness conservation efforts for one of the world’s rarest parrots
- Rakiura uses the same nest site for 7 consecutive breeding seasons since 2008 - demonstrates remarkable site fidelity that enables continuous monitoring
- Rakiura has produced 9 living descendants across 6 breeding seasons - her breeding success is vital for species recovery with only around 250 Kākāpō remaining
- Conservation team modified her natural nest with monitoring hatch and weatherproofing - shows how technology can support wildlife without disruption