The Green Desk: Keeping up with the kākāpō. April 19, 2023.
The Green Desk: Keeping up with the kākāpō. April 19, 2023.
The Green Desk: Keeping up with the kākāpō. April 19, 2023.Wednesday, April 19, 2023
Most people know the kākāpō as the endangered bird stuck on a few islands. The flightless bird was brought to the brink of extinction with only some 50 birds left at one point – But once upon a time, kākāpō covered Aotearoa from the north down to the south. What did they eat? How did they live without the rimu? This week, The Green Desk spoke to Dr Alex Boast from Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research who has been looking into the bird's pre-colonial droppings to answer these questions.