Kākā nest in holes in tree trunks which makes them vulnerable to predation from stoats and invasion from possums.
Within Tāwharanui they are many of them flying over, they are heard well before they are seen due their loud squawking and whistling calls. They are also seen and heard in our surrounding areas frequently nowadays.
A national research programme is looking at the dispersal of kākā throughout the North Island.
When a nest was found by an expert, in Tāwharanui recently, two chicks were caught, weighed and given a health check. They were then banded and fitted with geo-locators by Neil Fitzgerald, assisted by Chris Floyd. One of the feisty chicks was not happy about being man-handled and tried to peck a finger before Neil returned it to the nest. The kākā chicks were in good health and fledged shortly afterwards. We look forward to finding out where they have flown to.
