Birds of New Zealand Birds of New Zealand The birds of New Zealand evolved into an avifauna that included a large number of endemic species (that is, species found in no other country). As an island archipelago New Zealand accumulated bird diversity and when Captain James Cook arrived in the 1770s he noted that the bird song was deafening. The mix includes species with unusual biology such as the kakapo which is the world's only flightless, nocturnal, lek (competitive display) breeding parrot, but also many species that are similar to neighboring land areas. A process of colonization, speciation and extinction has been at play
Kakapo to remotely monitor the behaviour of females and chicks in nests. Data loggers record when mother kakapo come and go, allowing rangers to pick a time to check on the health of chicks, and also indicate how hard females are having to work to find food. Because mother kakapo often struggle to successfully rear multiple chicks, Kakapo Recovery rangers will move chicks between nests as needed. Eggs are often removed from nests for incubation to reduce the liklihood of accidents, such as lost eggs or crushing. If chicks become ill, aren’t putting on weight, or there are too many chicks