What Works in Conservation 2018

Abstract

The kakapo Strigops habroptila is a large, flightless parrot, once common across New Zealand but almost wiped out by the late 20th century due to predation of adults by feral cats Felis catus, dogs Canis familiaris and mustelids and the loss of eggs and chicks to rats Rattus spp. Starting in the 1970s, the remaining birds were translocated to islands free from cats and populations were very intensively managed (see ‘General responses to small and declining populations’). The Kermadec red-crowned parakeet Cyanoramphus movazelandiae, also from New Zealand was the first parrot to recolonise an island after predator removal. The effectiveness assessment of the control of mammalian predators on islands was carried out across all bird species groups.