New Zealand’s world’s heaviest parrot was on the brink with only 51 birds left; now after decades of intensive conservation by wildlife experts, its population has surged to 325

• New Zealand’s critically endangered kākāpō, the world’s heaviest parrot, has reached a remarkable conservation milestone after decades of intensive efforts to pull the species back from the brink of extinction.
• Its population has climbed to 325 birds after 90 chicks from the 2026 breeding season were officially added to the count, marking the highest population recorded during the modern recovery programme.
• The achievement is particularly significant because the Kākāpō Recovery Programme began in 1995 with just 51 birds, including only 20 females.