Kākāriki karaka/orange fronted parakeet parents Nacho and Trixie have only been together since 2024, but since then they've produced 55 chicks - 33 this season alone.
The pair are part of the captive breeding programme at The Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust (ICWT) in Christchurch. Wildlife Manager Leigh Percasky says Trixie is a "super-mum."
"The breeding season has ended and yet she's still producing eggs and raising chicks. Ideally, we'd prefer her to stop so she can have a rest, but she shows no signs of that with another 7 chicks in her most recent clutch. Nacho also deserves credit as he's responsible for finding food for both Trixie and the chicks which is incredibly busy. Male kākāriki karaka play a crucial role in chick raising.
"Trixie herself came from an egg from a pair in the wild and she's an incredibly robust healthy bird who breeds larger than normal chicks with Nacho. Many of her offspring have been translocated to help boost other populations of kākāriki karaka on offshore islands and into other locations in the wild."
The critically endangered manu is New Zealand's smallest and rarest parakeet with around 450 left, mainly in predator free sanctuaries like the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary in Nelson, or on islands like Blumine/Ōruawairua in Marlborough and Pukenui/Anchor Island in Fiordland.
Twice declared extinct, then rediscovered, there are two wild populations of kākāriki karaka in Canterbury, in the Hawdon Valley near Arthurs Pass and in the South Branch of the Hurunui River with current estimates of 50 and 60 birds in each valley.
The Department of Conservation and Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu lead a recovery programme which is vital to the species' survival. It's focused on monitoring and protecting those sites where kākāriki karaka are found, breeding birds in captivity to release into the wild, research, and finding safe new sites where the species can be introduced.
DOC staff have this week transferred 43 kākāriki karaka (including Trixie and Nacho's offspring) from The ICWT and Orana Park to Pukenui/Anchor Island hoping to further grow the population there.
The team is now surveying that population to establish accurate numbers of manu.
DOC Kākāriki karaka Recovery Programme lead Wayne Beggs says without the work that The ICWT and Orana Park do, looking after birds like Trixie and Nacho, the special parakeet would certainly have gone extinct.
"We rely on the captive breeding programmes as without them we couldn't establish new sites. The wild populations are very vulnerable to predators, so we always need backup populations," Wayne says.
"The places that help us achieve this are the naturing heroes. There is so much hands on work that goes into rearing these chicks."
Leigh Percasky says he's in awe of Trixie and Nacho and seeing them produce so many chicks is hugely satisfying for everyone involved.
"These two are making a massive contribution to the survival of their species and are such great parents. We're hoping they will decide to have a well-earned break after this clutch. I'm not sure where they get all their energy from," he laughs.
