Kākāpō Files
Voice of the Kākāpō - an audio adventure through the bumpy bumper 2019 breeding season of NZ's rare flightless parrot. Presented by Alison Ballance.
Navigation for Kākāpō Files
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2022 a boomer year for kākāpō
28 Apr 2022Alison Ballance joins the kākāpō recovery team on Pukenui Anchor Island to hear how the 2021/2022 kākāpō breeding season is going. Read more Audio
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Kākāpō - night parrot
21 Dec 2018The kākāpō is one of the world's rarest birds, and in the first episode of the Kākāpō Files we learn about the giant flightless parrot's 'love triangle.' Read more Audio
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Early birds
22 Dec 2018In episode 2 of the Kākāpō Files we find out that when it comes to kākāpō breeding the early birds are, well, very early. Read more Audio
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Busy birds
3 Jan 2019Kākāpō breeding action really kicked off on Christmas Eve and in episode 3 of the Kākāpō Files we discover it is in full swing. Read more Audio
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Action stations
10 Jan 2019Don't count your kākāpō chicks until they hatch, kākāpō leaky homes and lots more kākāpō sex, all in episode 4 of the Kākāpō Files. Read more Audio
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Super-studs & hitting the reset button
17 Jan 2019The most popular kākāpō males will get a chance to do it all over again as the females are encouraged to mate and nest for a second time, in episode 5 of the Kākāpō Files. Read more Audio
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The Kākāpō Files: Full House
26 Jan 2019Forty eight out of fifty kākāpō females on the southern islands have mated, nesting is well underway and the first AI has been carried out, all in episode 6 of the Kākāpō Files. Read more Audio
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The chicks are hatching
31 Jan 2019The first two chicks of the 2019 kākāpō breeding season have hatched and the exciting news keeps coming in, in episode 7 of the Kākāpō Files. Read more Audio
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Round two begins
5 Feb 2019The chicks that have hatched are off to Dunedin, the females have started mating again, and there is breeding action on Hauturu, all in episode 8 of the Kākāpō Files. Read more Audio
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On the island
12 Feb 2019More than 160 kākāpō eggs have been laid and the first 21 chicks have hatched, but there is also news of the first chick death, in episode 9 of the Kākāpō Files. Read more Audio
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Kākāpō chick growth looking promising
15 Feb 2019There is good news from down south, where the endangered kākāpō is having its best breeding season ever. No one is game enough to predict exactly how many chicks might make it to adulthood, but the… Read more Audio
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Flying kākāpō sperm
21 Feb 2019In a world-first for kākāpō conservation, a drone (nicknamed the 'spermcopter') has flown kākāpō sperm across Whenua Hou / Codfish Island - the Kākāpō Files was there for episode 10. Read more Audio
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Kākāpō rangers
1 Mar 2019There is a hard-working team of island rangers helping save kākāpō, working day and night, and the chick tally has reached 44, in episode 11 of the Kākāpō Files. Read more Audio
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Kākāpō helpers
7 Mar 2019Volunteers from around the world are helping the kākāpō team, with tasks ranging from feeding birds and people, looking after the power system on Whenua Hou and studying kākāpō sperm. We meet them in… Read more Audio
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Fat happy kākāpō chicks
15 Mar 2019Thirty four kākāpō chicks are putting on plenty of weight in wild nests as the rimu fruit ripens, and 23 chicks are also being hand-reared, in episode 13 of the Kākāpō Files. Read more Audio
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Kotahitanga and kākāpō
22 Mar 2019Kākāpō chick numbers continue to climb. The latest tally is 64 chicks, including one named Kotahitanga, meaning unity and solidarity. Ep 14 of the Kākāpō Files. Read more Audio
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Kākāpō chicks still hatching
2 Apr 2019Most of the 72 kākāpō chicks are thriving in wild nests, the males are winding down their booming, and there are 7 fertile eggs still to hatch, in ep 15 of the Kākāpō Files. Read more Audio
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Longest kākāpō breeding season
16 Apr 2019With 75 living chicks and the final three eggs due to hatch this week, the 2019 kākāpō breeding season is set to be the longest on record. All this & the sex ratio of the first 49 chicks, in ep 16 of… Read more Audio
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The Kākāpō Files: Glad and sad kākāpō tidings
1 May 2019The death of Hoki from a fungal infection brings the number of adult kākāpō to 146, while there are 77 chicks. Ep 17 of the Kākāpō Files includes a visit to Anchor Island & all the latest news. Read more Audio
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Worrying times for kākāpō
15 May 2019A spate of kākāpō chicks deaths from a fungal pneumonia caused by aspergillosis has DOC's Kākāpō Recovery Team very worried. Two further adult deaths bring the population to 144 birds with 73 living… Read more Audio
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Kākāpō health concerns continue
29 May 2019The number of cases of aspergillosis in the kākāpō population continues to rise, with 30 birds on the mainland for testing & treatment. The deaths of Huhana and Merty drop the adult population to 142… Read more Audio
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Behind-the-scenes of the kākāpō health crisis
12 Jun 2019Kākāpō death toll from aspergillosis rises by one to seven, while nine birds have been given a clean bill of health. Sad and positive news from the frontline of the fight to save kākāpō, in ep 20 of… Read more Video, Audio
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Kākāpō waiting game
28 Jun 2019The kākāpō health crisis is stable, with no further cases of aspergillosis diagnosed, and seven hand-reared chicks have been successfully released in the wild, in ep 21 of the Kākāpō Files. Read more Audio
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Kākāpō dads revealed
17 Jul 2019Paternity testing has revealed who the top kākāpō dads are, as well as the success of the artificial insemination programme, in ep 22 of the Kākāpō Files. Read more Audio
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Kākāpō chicks growing up
5 Aug 2019The kākāpō chicks are graduating to being juveniles and only seven birds are still sick with aspergillosis, in ep 23 of the Kākāpō Files. Read more Audio
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Kākāpō population hits new high of 213 birds
18 Sep 2019The youngest kākāpō chick has passed 150 days old, bringing the number of living juveniles to 71 and the overall kākāpō population to 213, in ep 24 of the Kākāpō Files. Read more Audio
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Voice of the Kākāpō 1: Kākāpō - night parrot
25 Feb 2020The kākāpō is a giant flightless parrot whose fortunes are tied to the rimu tree and to a dedicated team of rangers from the Department of Conservation. Read more Audio
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Voice of the Kākāpō 2: Whenua Hou, kākāpō island
27 Feb 2020The kākāpō team know all the signs are good for a big kākāpō breeding season - the question is exactly how big and when will it start? Part 2 of Voice of the Kākāpō. Read more Audio
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Voice of the Kākāpō 3: Nest checks
3 Mar 2020Kākāpō breeding is in full swing after an early start, and DOC's Deidre Vercoe and Andrew Digby are checking to see if eggs are fertile, in part 3 of Voice of the Kākāpō. Read more Audio
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Voice of the Kākāpō 4: Promise
5 Mar 2020Most of the female kākāpō have bred and the team is carrying precious fertile eggs to the 'egg room' for incubation, in part 4 of Voice of the Kākāpō . Read more Audio
Kākāpō Files
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