Kaka seen in the Kaipara

Auckland Region residents are being asked to keep an eye out for one of New Zealand’s rare birds – the Kaka.  Kaka are often seen around the Auckland Region in the winter months, sometimes staying around mainland forests and gardens until early spring. These large olive brown, endemic parrots, breed off-shore on Hauturu-Little Barrier Island, and Aotea-Great Barrier Island. In autumn, adult birds tend to chase off the young single males, and these birds migrate to the mainland to check out food sources and forest territories.  They usually stay until about late September and then return to Hauturu for the breeding season.   This year in Rodney, several birds have already been seen at South Head, Wellsford and Wharehine, Waimauku and Helensville.  There is also a semi-resident group at Leigh, the Takatu Peninsula, Warkworth, Cowan Bay, and further south-east to Torbay on the North Shore. Small populatons of North Island Kaka are also found in south Auckland, the Waikato and in small numbers throughout forests of the central and southern North Island.  They are not common anywhere, and are classified as an “endangered” species. Kaka are about 45cm from the tip of the beak to the tip of the tail, and weigh up to about 525gm.  They have a distinctive crimson underwing and rump.  They also have golden feathers around their cheeks and a dark crimson collar.  The Kaka’s bill is long and hooked sharply downwards. The birds can be quite noisy, especially in flight with liquid whistling notes and harsh grating calls.

Photo © John Woods

Sightings wanted by kakawatchnz If you see a Kaka, please record the date, time, location (street address or GPS), and if possible, take a photograph.   Other information is useful too, such as what the Kaka are doing (eg feeding on flowers etc),  the species of tree(s) they are seen in, the direction of their arrival and/or departure, and the amount of time they were at that location. These sightings are added to a Kaka movements database and will be used for research into Kaka movements in the Auckland region. Click here to see where Kaka were sighted last year (the map is updated regularly).  Please send details of Kaka sightings by email to Suzi Phillips at: kakawatchnz@gmail.com or by text to 021-271-2527