- Nestor meridionalis
Identification
A large, sometimes inquisitive parrot of the forests, a locally common NZ endemic. Breeding: Sep-April. Photo taken: Ulva island (off Stewart, NZ)
45cm (about 17.5ins) 475-525gms (about 1-1.15 lbs) A large parrot, with crimson rump and underwings. The North Island birds are olive brown with darker feather edges: the crown is lighter and greyer; collar, lower belly and undertail are crimson; golden wash on cheeks. The male has a longer and more arched bill. The juvenile has a yellow base to the lower manidble. The Kakas of South and Stewart Islands are brighter in colour, with an almost white crown. They are noisy birds, having a variety of calls, from a harsh grating to liquid whistling notes. The size of the Kaka is around 45cm - about the same size as an Umbrella Cockatoo or about 10cm larger than a Galah or Major Mitchell.
As with its cousin the Kea, the hen Kaka closely resembles the cock but with a somewhat shorter and less curved beak.
Distribution
New Zealand The main locations of the Kaka include: Forests of Pureora, Tongariro, Kaimanawa, and Urewera in the central North Island; Forests on the west coast of the South Island
Taxonomy
Habitat
A forest-dwelling parrot which spends most of the day high up in the trees, making them rather difficult to see or study.
They tend to be found between sea-level and 1500 metres
Behaviour
Kaka are persistent insect hunters - it is not unusual for a cock Kaka to dig into a live Beech tree for up to two hours to get at a single beetle. The unfortunate thing for the Kaka is that it expends more energy getting the beetle out of the wood, than it gets in the way of nourishment.
The Kaka has a bristle tongue with the bristles far more developed than the Kea, giving rise to the need for a higher proportion of nectar in their diet.
As the South Island is not flush with flowering native trees, the SI Kaka obtains its prime energy food from drops of honeydew. This sugary substance is produced by a small beetle which lives in the bark of some Beech trees. The honeydew is rich in energy food but low in protein, and is mainly taken by the Kaka from the forest canopy rather than lower down the trees.
Unfortunately for the Kaka it has competition for the honeydew from another human-introduced pest - the common wasp. As visitors to parts of the South Island know - wasps can be a real nuisance and the Kaka have a similar view of them. In areas where there is a high concentration of wasps, Kaka are usually uncommon.
Another human-introduced pest, the possum, also causes the Kaka a bit of grief - they destroy mistletoe plants which have flowers and fruit much liked by the Kaka.
