“Kākāpō, the world’s only nocturnal and flightless parrot, were once abundant across New Zealand. But their population plummeted after the introduction of predators such as cats and stoats, and by the 1900s they were nearly extinct.

A recovery programme established in 1995 rebuilt the population from 51 to 236 birds, including 83 breeding-age females. 

This year a ‘mega-mast’ is expected, resulting in a bountiful harvest of rimu berries, which could prompt the birds to produce more eggs.

Deidre Vercoe, the Department of Conservation’s operations manager for kākāpō recovery, said it was an exciting moment for her team…

‘I never like to count our chickens before they hatch, but we’re really hopeful that the majority of the females breed and we will get some good numbers of chicks through.'”

From The Guardian.