Nestor meridionalis

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	PSITTACIFORMES	PSITTACIDAE

Scientific Name:

Nestor meridionalis

Species Authority:

(Gmelin, 1788)

Common Name/s:

English	–	Kaka, New Zealand Kaka
Spanish	–	Kaka

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Endangered A2be+3be+4be ver 3.1

Year Published:

2008

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Mahood, S., Butchart, S.

Contributor/s:

Moorhouse, R., Greene, T., Hitchmough, R.

Justification:
This species is classified as Endangered because it has a small population that is estimated to be declining rapidly, owing to the effects of introduced competitors and predators.

History:

2005	–	Endangered
2004	–	Vulnerable
2000	–	Vulnerable
1996	–	Vulnerable
1994	–	Vulnerable
1988	–	Near Threatened

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Nestor meridionalis is endemic to New Zealand. The North Island subspecies septentrionalis survives in large forest tracts from Coromandel to Wairarapa, and is moderately common only in the forests of Pureora and Whirinaki and some offshore islands^2,3,4. The South Island subspecies meridionalis is mostly found west of the Southern Alps, Fiordland and south-western Southland, Stewart Island and several offshore islands, and is in low numbers in all areas. The population is estimated at fewer than 10,000 birds⁴, and new information indicates that the species has almost disappeared from the mainland except for a few intensely managed sites, and those valleys that remain free of possums. Three generations ago over 90% of the population would have been on the mainland, whereas now less than 50% is found there⁸. Mortality is mainly concentrated on nesting females, so relatively large numbers of males can remain highly visible for a long time after the population reaches a very poor condition functionally⁹.
Countries:	Native: New Zealand
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	Heather and Robertson (1997)
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It lives in large areas of low to mid-altitude forest. Its diet is diverse, consisting of fruit, seeds, nectar, sap, invertebrates^1,5, and also "honeydew" in South Island beech Nothofagus forests¹. It appears to depend on infrequently available, superabundant food crops in order to breed^5,6. It nests in natural cavities in old or dying trees. It usually lays four eggs³, and chicks take over seven months to become fully independent⁴.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Habitat and Ecology:

It lives in large areas of low to mid-altitude forest. Its diet is diverse, consisting of fruit, seeds, nectar, sap, invertebrates^1,5, and also "honeydew" in South Island beech Nothofagus forests¹. It appears to depend on infrequently available, superabundant food crops in order to breed^5,6. It nests in natural cavities in old or dying trees. It usually lays four eggs³, and chicks take over seven months to become fully independent⁴.

Systems:

Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Historically, forest clearance and hunting decimated habitat and numbers^2,4,5,6. Stoats Mustela erminea kill adults, in particular females incubating eggs, possibly causing the highly skewed sex ratio on the mainland^2,3,6. Brush-tailed possum Trichosurus vulpecula robs nests³, being responsible for the failure of six out of 13 nests in Whirinaki during a single breeding season¹¹, and competes for high-energy foods required for successful breeding^4,6. Black rat Rattus rattus is also implicated⁵. Sites with predator control have a nest failure incidence of 16%, compared to 84% in sites without predator control⁷. Introduced wasps Vespula spp. compete for honeydew, and may be contributing to declines in Nothofagus forests^1,5.

Major Threat(s):

Historically, forest clearance and hunting decimated habitat and numbers^2,4,5,6. Stoats Mustela erminea kill adults, in particular females incubating eggs, possibly causing the highly skewed sex ratio on the mainland^2,3,6. Brush-tailed possum Trichosurus vulpecula robs nests³, being responsible for the failure of six out of 13 nests in Whirinaki during a single breeding season¹¹, and competes for high-energy foods required for successful breeding^4,6. Black rat Rattus rattus is also implicated⁵. Sites with predator control have a nest failure incidence of 16%, compared to 84% in sites without predator control⁷. Introduced wasps Vespula spp. compete for honeydew, and may be contributing to declines in Nothofagus forests^1,5.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Conservation Actions Underway CITES Appendix II. Predator/pest control is carried out in several large areas and around known nest-sites³. Kaka have been released into the pest free Maungatautiri sanctuary in the Waikato. Intensive nest protection will be occurring within a small area of Waitutu forest in Southland during the 2007/2008 breeding season. It is hoped that a more extensive integrated pest control regime will be initiated within Waitutu in the next year or two. Supplementary foods were trialled where wasps are a major problem, but did not increase productivity⁶. Radio-tracking is used to identify adult and juvenile movements and survival, habitat requirements and important food sources. An ongoing ex situ breeding programme has resulted in the release of 31 individuals to the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary and the Pukaha Mt Bruce Forest, and breeding has subsequently been recorded in at Pukaha with the population there increasing steadily¹⁰, but unlikely to be sustainable. A 'stoat-proof' nest box has been developed, but adult mortality remains high¹¹. Conservation Actions Proposed Develop effective methods for estimating population sizes. Research diet and habitat use in relation to breeding frequency. Develop long-term, sustainable and cost-effective methods of protecting, augmenting and reintroducing populations of the species.

Conservation Actions:

Conservation Actions Underway
CITES Appendix II. Predator/pest control is carried out in several large areas and around known nest-sites³. Kaka have been released into the pest free Maungatautiri sanctuary in the Waikato. Intensive nest protection will be occurring within a small area of Waitutu forest in Southland during the 2007/2008 breeding season. It is hoped that a more extensive integrated pest control regime will be initiated within Waitutu in the next year or two. Supplementary foods were trialled where wasps are a major problem, but did not increase productivity⁶. Radio-tracking is used to identify adult and juvenile movements and survival, habitat requirements and important food sources. An ongoing ex situ breeding programme has resulted in the release of 31 individuals to the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary and the Pukaha Mt Bruce Forest, and breeding has subsequently been recorded in at Pukaha with the population there increasing steadily¹⁰, but unlikely to be sustainable. A 'stoat-proof' nest box has been developed, but adult mortality remains high¹¹.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Develop effective methods for estimating population sizes. Research diet and habitat use in relation to breeding frequency. Develop long-term, sustainable and cost-effective methods of protecting, augmenting and reintroducing populations of the species.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2008. Nestor meridionalis. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 24 May 2012.
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