18 Apr 2014

Chance to watch kakapo online

5:32 pm on 18 April 2014

For the first time, the public will be able to watch kakapo caring for their chicks.

A camera set up on Codfish Island, near Stewart Island, is streaming real-time footage of a foster mother caring for a chick.

Six new kakapo survived the breeding season this year, bringing the total population of the critically endangered parrots to 129. It is the first successful breeding season since 2011.

Because kakapo are nocturnal, movement will be visible on the video stream only at night. The footage is on the Kakapo Recovery website.