Red-crowned kakariki reported & seen

Rare native parrot seen on Maungatautari

Waikata Times - January 13, 2007

A red-crowned kakariki has been spotted in bush on Maungatautari, south of Cambridge, sparking a flurry of interest from conservationists in the area.

Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust chief executive Jim Mylchreest said he had received reports of possibly several of the birds on the mountain.
"We've got an excellent photo of one of the birds and we had another report that three of the birds were seen up there recently," he said.
The birds were once thought to be extinct outside of aviaries on the mainland.
The Maungatautari ecological island is the biggest of its kind in the country and recently the mountain's 3400ha of bush area was completely circled by a pest-proof fence.
Steps are now being taken to eradicate all pest mammals inside the fence, while at the same time native bird and plant species are being encouraged, and new species introduced.
Mr Mylchreest was "very keen" to have the parrots on the mountain, "and we also want to know from members of the public if they see the birds there".
"We want to know numbers, and where and when the birds were seen."
Mr Mylchreest wanted to know whether any of the birds had recently escaped from aviaries or had been released in the area.
"Captive birds can be inbred, or they can sometimes breed with yellow-crowned kakariki, which means they are not a pure native species. As well, they can sometimes transmit exotic parrot diseases into the wild," he said.
"We need to find out this sort of detail, and if possible get some feathers from the birds on the mountain so we can have them tested for disease and purity of species."
It was necessary to establish this information before other red-crown kakariki, being bred for release on Maungatautari, were placed on the mountain.
Anyone seeing the birds can contact the trust's office on 07 823-7455.