Threats to New Zealand parakeet/kākāriki
Red-crowned parakeet
During the 1800s, kākāriki were common and at times flocks would emerge from forests to feed on grain and fruit crops. Farmers and orchardists considered them pests and shot thousands of the birds in an attempt to protect their harvests. Culling - as well as destruction of their old-growth forest habitat - were primary reasons for the birds' near demise.
Today, attacks by introduced predators such as mustelids and rats are the main threat to kākāriki. Like other hole-nesters (for example, the yellowhead/ mohua and kākā), female kākāriki and chicks are vulnerable while they are in the nest since there is no escape route from predators that enter the tree hollows.
1080 poison helps native parakeets
1080 poison is used to protect birds in New Zealand and to maintain the health of forest ecosystems.
This video shows that in the Maruia Valley nine parakeet nests were monitored though a 1080 operation designed to suppress a rat plague in November 2009. One nest was eaten by either a rat or a stoat the other eight were fine.
In places where 1080 has not been used to stop rat plagues, entire populations of parakeets have been destroyed by predators.
Video by Trakabat
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