Kākā

Kākā (Nestor meridionalis) on a branch in forest, New Zealand.

The kākā (Nestor meridionalis) is a type of parrot, closely related to the kea, found in lowland and mid-altitude forests and was at one time quite common. Kākā are now largely limited to offshore conservation islands such as Kapiti, Codfish and Little Barrier and fenced inland sanctuaries such as ZEALANDIA and Pūkaha. Recent successful breeding in these sanctuaries has led to an increase in kākā numbers both within the sanctuaries and also in the surrounding areas.