A Historic Boom for Aotearoa: Record 90 K ā k ā p ō Chicks Push Population Past 300-Milestone  In a monumental win for global avian conservation, New Zealand’s Department of Conservation (DOC) alongside iwi partner Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu officially announced that 90 kākāpō chicks have successfully fledged and joined the total count from the 2026 record breeding season! This historic addition brings the total population of the critically endangered, flightless, nocturnal parrot to 325 birds —a recovery-era high and the first time the species is believed to have surpassed 300 individuals in around 75 years. Photo Source: BBC.co.uk A Four-Year Wait Worth Every Second The record-shattering result comes after a long four-year gap between breeding seasons. Kākāpō ( Strigops habroptilus ) do not breed annually. Instead, their reproduction relies entirely on the natural phenomenon known as "masting," where native rimu trees produce massive crops of fruit every two to four yea...