Day time egg check - 22 February

A hidden world revealed: We’re live from the nest site of female kākāpō Rakiura on the remote, predator-free island of Whenua Hou/Codfish Island in Aotearoa, New Zealand. 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆: 15 Jan: Rakiura mated with Kōmaru 21 Jan: Rakiura was artificially inseminated using sperm from Bluster Murphy, Moss and Gaupo 22 Jan: First egg laid at approx 4:30 pm (not live) 23 Jan: With Rakiura now committed to this nest, Kākāpō Cam goes live 25 Jan: Second egg laid at approx 3:00 pm 28 January: Third (and final) egg laid at 2.36 pm 1 February: Nest check reveals three fertile eggs. Egg 1 and 2 are taken in for incubation. Two eggs remain in nest (Egg 3 and an infertile egg). 7 February: Egg 3 also swapped with an infertile egg and moved to the incubator to join her other two eggs. 11 February: Early embryo death of Rakiura‑A1 (Egg 1). Egg 2 and egg 3 remain well in incubators. 21 February: Smart egg that mimics pre‑hatch chick sounds now in nest. This may help get her ready for the almost‑hatching eggs she’s due to receive very soon. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 Rakiura is 23-years old and one of just 236 kākāpō alive today. This is the first breeding season for her critically threatened species since 2022. You’re looking at her underground nest. 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗞𝗮̄𝗸𝗮̄𝗽𝗼̄ 𝗖𝗮𝗺 Through this Kākāpō Cam, we hope to gain greater insight into female nesting behaviour which plays a crucial role in successful breeding seasons. We also know many people are fascinated by kākāpō and currently, very few people get the chance to see one in real life. This is why we work hard to bring their stories to you, and Kākāpō Cam is an exciting way we can do that. DOC’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme works together with Treaty Partner Ngāi Tahu, with support from National Partner Meridian Energy to support the recovery of this taonga species so they can one day thrive again across Aotearoa New Zealand. Learn more, or support through donation or symbolic adoption at kakaporecovery.org.nz 𝐅𝐀𝐐𝐬 How many eggs did Rakiura have? Three eggs this season - all fertile. The biggest kākāpō clutch ever recorded is five eggs. She's sitting on two stand-in eggs now while we keep her fertile eggs in an incubator. What happened to Rakiura-A1 (her first egg)? Monitoring in the incubator confirmed that Rakiura A1 was lost due to early embryo death. While always disappointing, this is unfortunately something we see often. Around half of all kākāpō eggs are fertile, and a quarter of those die as embryos. Overall, only about a third of all eggs laid become fledged chicks. Rakiura A2 and Rakiura A3 continue to be monitored in incubators for now and will be hatched in a nest best suited for them when they are ready. Will she raise her own chicks? Because Rakiura is known as a great mum from previous seasons, she is a top candidate to raise chicks of high genetic value. This means, depending on timing and all other egg activity on the island, she may hatch and raise important foster chicks, to give them the best chance. Why do you take in the fertile eggs? We take them in for safekeeping in incubators until they are due to hatch. We take this extra precaution on Whenua Hou, where mottled petrels (kōrure) and Cook's petrels (tītī) can physically compete for the same burrows as nesting kākāpō, creating a high risk of eggs being damaged during fights or scuffles. Will she leave the nest? She will sit with the eggs for longer periods as incubation period goes on and will occasionally leave for food. When will her chicks hatch? Fertile eggs that survive through incubation usually take hatch around one month after they were laid. How many chicks will she raise? We aim to maintain all nests and give each mother the opportunity to raise at least one chick. It's likely that we return two fertile eggs to Rakiura to hatch in the nest. Who is the father? If any of these eggs successfully hatch, the father of could be Kōmaru, who mated naturally with Rakiura, or it could be one of the males from a mixed-sperm artificial insemination: Bluster Murphy, Moss or Gaupo. It is even possible that there could be a mix of fathers for this clutch. We will know later this year after genetic testing. What happens to infertile eggs? This season one egg from each entirely infertile clutch will be used for ongoing research looking at microscopic fertility. The others will be kept for use as stand-in eggs on Whenua Hou, helping us further understand the risk to eggs from petrel disruption. How long will she look after her chicks? Kākāpō typically incubate the eggs for about one month before the chicks are ready to hatch. Once hatched, the chicks stay in or very close to the nest for about three months, relying entirely on mum for protection and food. After fledging (leaving the nest), they continue to depend on their mother for another three months or so, during which time she still feeds and looks after them until they begin to forage independently.