New Zealand Kaka
Nestor meridionalis
Kaka have specialized brush-tipped tongues that allow them to efficiently lap up nectar and tree sap from deep within bark crevices.
- Scientific name
- Nestor meridionalis
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Psittaciformes › Strigopidae › Nestor
- IUCN Red List status
- Endangered
- Population trend
- decreasing
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Lowland and sub-alpine temperate podocarp-broadleaf and beech forests.
- Diet
- Omnivorous, feeding on nectar, honeydew, seeds, fruits, sap, and wood-boring insect larvae.
- Range
- New Zealand (North Island), New Zealand (South Island), Kapiti Island, Little Barrier Island, Ulva Island
- Size
- 45 cm in length; weight of 390 to 560 grams.
- Lifespan
- 20 to 30 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Predation by introduced mammalian predators (especially stoats on nesting females), habitat fragmentation, and competition for honeydew from invasive wasps.
- Safe to approach?
- Kaka are highly curious and generally harmless, but they possess powerful beaks capable of delivering a painful defensive bite if cornered. Maintain a safe distance of 5 meters. Never feed them, as human food causes severe nutritional deficiencies in their chicks. If bitten, clean the wound thoroughly with soap and water and seek medical attention to prevent infection.
The New Zealand kaka , also known as kākā , ( Nestor meridionalis ) is a large species of parrot of the family Nestoridae found in native forests of New Zealand. Two subspecies are recognised. It is endangered and has disappeared from much of its former range.
Photo: Shaun Lee, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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