New Zealand Kaka

Kaka ( Nestor meridionalis )

The Kaka or forest parrot ( Nestor meridionalis ) is next to the Kea, the second still living species of Nestor parrots. The genus now consists of two species that occur in New Zealand. A third type, the Slender-billed Nestor, lived until the mid 19th century, of which the Norfolk Islands north and northeast.

Features

The Kaka is a parrot of about 40 cm length. The color of the plumage prevail on the neck, back, chest and on the upper side of the wings brown tones before. The belly, the underside of the wings and a band between the neck and back are reddish, forehead and top dyed gray-white.

In the male the beak is more curved than in the female.

Dissemination

It inhabits the forests of New Zealand. In the South Island the subspecies N. meridionalis meridionalis occurs, on the North Island N. meridionalis septentrionalis. Both subspecies are threatened.

On the Chatham Islands it is eradicated.

Way of life

The Kaka lives mainly in the forest, but also bushes, parks and gardens are visited by him. He needs trees as a seat. Except during the breeding season they live together in smaller groups of up to ten copies. Normally, this bird is active at dusk and bright nights.

Nutrition

The Kaka feeds on fruits, buds, insects and their larvae and pupae, but also of flower nectar ( honeydew ) and shoots. An important part of his diet are the secretions of a person living in the bark of trees cochineal and rearing the seed of the southern beech. This unusual food in addition to the narrowing of the habitats with a reason for the threat of Art

Breeding cycle

Not regularly every year, but about every two to four years found in the Kakas a pairing, the subsequent oviposition, 21 -day breeding and subsequent rearing of 4-5 boys ( most of which only two survive ) instead. Initially it was thought that this irregular breeding cycle would depend solely on the changing range of energizing honeydew. Researchers, however, the direct primarily a function later found by the fruit cycle of the southern beech. In the years in which these trees develop very many seeds and therefore a large food supply is guaranteed for the Kakas and her cubs, it also comes regularly breeding.

The Kaka used once selected tree hollows over several broods of time. Most broods the female, only now and then the male triggers it off.

With about 10 weeks, the young are fledged and leave the nest.

Use

The Māori chasing parrots for their meat and make out their red coats springs forth for ceremonies.

Endangering

The explosive growth of introduced European wasp species (now the common wasp ), who also live by the energy-rich honeydew of scale insects as well as insect has, the basic food of Kakas so scarce that they are permanently seriously endangered, it should not succeed, the stock of Commons wasps to reduce critical.

Through the introduction of the New Zealand -based Wiesel originally not the Kaka is still vulnerable, as these predators regularly fall victim in a breeding cycle many nesting in tree cavities Kaka females. In the National Park Eglinton Valley on New Zealand's South Island, where Kakas were fitted with transmitters in 2008 could be detected from these data and calculations in a study that Kakas only have a chance of survival, albeit still the same number of stoat traps like since the beginning of the 90s is set up.

In Europe Kakas are only held in Stuttgart's Wilhelma.