𝘒𝘪𝘢 𝘰𝘳𝘢 from Whenua Hou. Rakiura's webcam is down but will hopefully be back up some time next week.

In other #kakapo2026 news ...

#nzwildlife

Totals of the 2026 kākāpō breeding season on the fridge door on Whenua Hou. Credit: Andrew Digby

#kakapo breeding fridge update. With all eggs hatched, the only changes from now will be chicks dying 😕 (And maybe Rimu’s nest). #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds

The youngest #kakapo alive: Awarua-A3, 17 days old today. Despite appearances, she’s doing well. She won’t be leaving the nest until mid-June. It’s a long breeding season! #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds.

𝘒𝘪𝘢 𝘰𝘳𝘢 from Whenua Hou. While Rakiura was out last night, Nora and Heather decided they were ready for their close-ups. #Kakapo2026 #nzwildlife

Meanwhile, somewhere in a hollow tree on Whenua Hou, chunky feathered cam-hogging supervillians gather to hatch tonight's evil plan...

#kakapo2026 #kākāpō #conservation #Wildlife #NestCam #NewZealand #kikorangi #birds

A kākāpō chick at a nest. Credit: Andrew Digby

There are currently 94 #kakapo chicks alive, with 59 on Anchor, 22 on Whenua Hou, at least 10 on Te Kākahu and 3 in hospital. We lost a chick to a freak flooding of a nest earlier this week on Anchor. #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds

A kākāpō chick in a bag during a health check. Credit: Sarah Manktelow.

Last week we transferred 4 #kakapo chicks from Whenua Hou to Anchor Island; having moved 5 in March. With a better food supply on Anchor the mothers there can support two chicks per nest better than on Whenua Hou, where the rimu fruit has failed to ripen. 📸 Sarah Manktelow #kakapo2026 #conservation

𝘒𝘪𝘢 𝘰𝘳𝘢 from Whenua Hou where Rakiura has been busy doing some interior decorating, spraying Nora and Heather with woodchips. #Kakapo2026 #nzwildlife

Whetū's nest on Pukenui is tucked deep inside a hollow rātā tree—more than 2m above the forest floor. The height means fledging safely could be a hurdle for Whetū-A3. So Rangers have installed a nature-styled access ramp to provide a safe option for the fledgling. #Kakapo2026

𝘒𝘪𝘢 𝘰𝘳𝘢 from Pukenui where Atareta has been displaying strong brooding instincts despite Vori-A1 levelling up in size as is Atareta-A2 who is close by.

(All is well with Rakiura, Nora and Heather on Whenua Hou also.) #Kakapo2026 #nzwildlife

𝘒𝘪𝘢 𝘰𝘳𝘢 from Whenua Hou where earlier today Rakiura returned home to give Nora and Heather a comprehensive groom before feeding started. #Kakapo2026 #nzwildlife

I don't know if this is Nora or Heather but dog damn they suddenly look huge! #Kakapo2026 #Rakiura #nzwildlife

Meet Zephry-A1. I don't know whose nest Zephry-A1 lives in or exactly where its located, but I love in iridescent pin feathers. #Kakapo2026 #nzwildlife

A female kakapo on a nest facing the camera, with a young chick in front of her. Credit: Andrew Digby

This year's #kakapo breeding season has been the biggest on record:
- 256 eggs (252 in 2019)
- 148 fertile eggs (116 in 2019)
- 105 eggs hatched (86 in 2019).
It'll be 2+ months until we know how many chicks will fledge (73 in 2019). There are currently 95 alive. #conservation #kakapo2026 #birds

Looking at the size of Nora and Heather, there can be no doubt Rakiura has everything under control in her nest on Whenua Hou. #Kakapo2026 #nzwildlife

𝘒𝘪𝘢 𝘰𝘳𝘢 from Tīaka and Tīaka-A1 who live on Whenua Hou. #Kakapo2026 #nzwildlife

New foster mum Hanariki feeding Pearl-B4 on Pukenui after transfer from Whenua Hou. The rimu on Pukenui is ripening earlier and more abundantly than on Whenua Hou. This rich food supply means mums on Pukenui are better able to support two chicks in a nest. #Kakapo2026 #nzwildlife

𝘒𝘪𝘢 𝘰𝘳𝘢 from Rakiura, Nora and Heather in Whenua Hou. #Kakapo2026 #nzwildlife

𝘒𝘪𝘢 𝘰𝘳𝘢 from Whenua Hou where one of the chicks ... I'm guessing it's the boy, Heather ... has moved back to the central dug-out where he can hog the limelight. #Kakapo2026 #Rakiura #nzwildlife

𝘒𝘪𝘢 𝘰𝘳𝘢 from Whenua Hou where all is well in the House of Rakiura. And let's hope New Zealand is another country not directly in genocidal megalomaniac Trump's line of sight. #Kakapo2026 #nzwildlife

Two week-old kākāpō chicks in a nest. Credit: Andrew Digby

Two scraps of cotton wool. #kakapo chicks Pakiki-A3-2026 and Wendy-A1-2026 in Wendy's nest on Anchor Island. These are two of the youngest kākāpō chicks from this year. The oldest is about 6 weeks older and ~15 times heavier! #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds #wildlife

Rakiura has been busy digging a new crater in her chicks' preferred location and undertaking other maintenance on the surrounds. #Kakapo2026 #nzwildlife

𝘒𝘪𝘢 𝘰𝘳𝘢 from Whenua Hou where Nora and Heather have been quite mobile, moving out of the crater to sleep against a wall. Rakiura returns to preen their feathers in the first instance. #Kakapo2026 #nzwildlife

For those who might be interested, there is a Kakapo incubator and brooder room on Whenua Hou. #Kakapo2026 #KakapoRecovery #nzwildlife

𝘒𝘪𝘢 𝘰𝘳𝘢 from Whenua Hou where Rakiura returned to mayhem this morning. Heather had left the crater! We ended up with some close-ups. #Kakapo2026 #nzwildlife

𝘒𝘪𝘢 𝘰𝘳𝘢 from Whenua Hou where Rakiura has recently returned to her nest to manage two bundles of joy. Heather-A3 (male) is back living with Rakiura and Nora while his foster mother focuses on another chick needing extra care right now. #Kakapo2026 #nzwildlife

Kākāpō Cam: Rakiura the kākāpō – 2026 nest YouTube video by Department of Conservation

For those not following the #kakapo nest cam: a new chick (Heather-A3) has been added to Rakiura’s nest tonight. We’re testing whether she can cope with two (bigger) mouths to feed again. #kakapo2026 #conservation
www.youtube.com/live/LDSWtyU...

𝘒𝘪𝘢 𝘰𝘳𝘢 from Whenua Hou where a recent feeding session involved a lot of winging on the part of Nora. #Kakapo2026 #nzwildlife

While there were technical issues with the webcam, the NZ Department of Conservation's Kākāpō Recovery team posted some highlights from Rakiura's nest so far this season. #Kakapo2026 #nzwildlife

Meet Eva with Evohe-A3 and Konini-A3 nesting on Pukenui. #Kakapo2026 #nzwildlife