Kākā

The kākā is a large, chatty forest parrot that lives in the green native forests of Aotearoa New Zealand. It has olive-brown feathers on top, but hidden under its wings are beautiful flashes of red and orange. Kākā love to call out to each other as they swoop between the treetops, filling the forest with their noisy, cheerful chatter.

The kākā has a clever secret inside its beak: a brush-tipped tongue that works almost like a tiny paintbrush. It uses this special tongue to lap up sweet nectar from flowers, sticky sap from trees, and honeydew made by little insects. These sugary treats give the kākā lots of energy for a busy day of flying and climbing through the forest.

When it eats, the kākā often stands on one foot and uses the other foot like a hand to hold its food. With its strong, hooked beak it can shred tough seed cones and dig deep into old wood to pull out plump grubs. Being an omnivore, the kākā happily eats fruit, berries, seeds, and insects, trying almost anything it can find.

The kākā is found only in Aotearoa New Zealand and nowhere else on Earth. It is a close cousin of the kea, the cheeky parrot that lives high in the snowy mountains. While the kea likes the cold peaks, the kākā prefers the leafy lowland forests, where it can climb, feed, and raise its chicks in the shelter of the trees.

Sadly, the kākā is a vulnerable bird, because animals like cats, rats, and possums that were brought to Aotearoa New Zealand hunt them and their eggs. The good news is that people are helping. In protected sanctuaries and on safe islands, kākā numbers are slowly climbing again, and the friendly squawk of the kākā is returning to forests where it had gone quiet.