A kakapo breeding programme in Southland could be in jeopardy, after one of the coldest springs on record.
Kakapo Recovery programme manager Deidre Vercoe Scott said bad weather has ruined much of the rimu fruit crop, which the female kakapo use as a cue for breeding.
She said the tips are counted in February or March every year to predict the breeding season and 15 nests were predicted after the count on Codfish Island.
But a count last month has revealed a decline of 67% in the fruit.
Ms Vercoe Scott said the breeding team was expecting some kakapo to breed, but not as many as they had hoped.
