27 Feb 2020

Voice of the Kākāpō 2: Whenua Hou, kākāpō island

From Kākāpō Files, 3:30 pm on 27 February 2020

Kākāpō have been rescued from the brink of extinction and are now thriving on Whenua Hou / Codfish Island, an island sanctuary off the northwest tip of Rakiura / Stewart Island.

In late 2018, the kākāpō rangers knew all the signs were good for a breeding season – the only question was how big would it be and when would it start?

Join Alison Ballance on an audio adventure through the biggest kākāpō breeding season on record, and join the rangers in the field as they discover a kākāpō nest.

Tutū is one of 73 chicks that successfully fledged during the 2019 kākāpō breeding season. Her name means to stand out or be prominent.

Tutū is one of 73 chicks that successfully fledged during the 2019 kākāpō breeding season. Her name means to stand out or be prominent. Photo: Bryony Hitchcock / DOC

You can subscribe to the Kākāpō Files as a podcast - for free - at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, iHeartRADIO and RadioPublic.

If you would like to know more about kākāpō you can follow the Kākāpō Recovery Programme on Facebook and Instagram. Kākāpō scientist Andrew Digby is on Twitter. Or check out the book Kākāpō - rescued from the brink of extinction by Alison Ballance.

Listen to the full series

Voice of the Kākāpō 1: Kākāpō - night parrot

Voice of the Kākāpō 2: Whenua Hou, kākāpō island

Voice of the Kākāpō 3: Nest checks

Voice of the Kākāpō 4: Promise

Voice of the Kākāpō 5: Kākāpō sperm takes to the air

Voice of the Kākāpō 6: Kākāpō chicks

Voice of the Kākāpō 7: Dark days

Voice of the Kākāpō 8: Success