Kakariki (Red-Crowned Parakeet)
Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae

Distribution: Restricted to offshore (mammalian predator free) islands. Occasionally dispersers land on the coastal mainland from such islands (Shakespeare Regional Park, Leigh). Escaped captive individuals are occasionally sighted further inland (Kumeu, Papatoetoe).

Description: Bright green in colour (occasionally yellow mutations are found in wild populations; pied or lutino). Bright crimson forehead, crown and streak behind the eye. Underside of wings are blue/violet. 280mm long. Female body and beak size is obviously smaller than male's when compared.

Foraging Ecology: Lower canopy species, often browses on the ground. Comfortable in open fields (in absence of predators). Diet consists entirely of vegetation.

Breeding: Hole-nesting, but also on cliffs, in crevices or in dense vegetation.

A Guide To The Keeping Of Kakariki In Captivity

Housing

Kakariki should be housed in an outdoor aviary and, if successful breeding of them is desired, ONLY ONE PAIR PER AVIARY unless it is very large. Recommended dimensions for an aviary housing one or a pair of birds are 4 m long x 3 m wide x 2 m high. Minimum dimensions are 3 m long x 1 m wide. If pairs of kakariki are to be housed in adjacent aviaries, double wire is recommended since cock birds can be very aggressive towards other kakariki and bite the toes of their unsuspecting neighbors.

The aviary must contain a draught-proof all-weather shelter, enclosed on 3 sides to protect the birds against the elements and to accommodate the feeding and nesting facilities. Kakariki are active fliers, so do not clutter the aviary with perches - one natural branch perch at each end is sufficient. Pieces of doweling or pipe should never be used as perches.

The all-important aviary floor must be kept clean. Concrete is the easiest to clean but the birds are avid foragers so an area of soil should be provided. Alternatively, natural and sand/pumice floors can be provided, but care must be taken not to let the ground go sour. If soil floors are used, turn the ground regularly; if sand or pumice, replace it regularly.

Feeding

Pelleted Diets are Highly recommended for Kakirikis. It has been found to increase their life expectancy significantly.  Fresh water, changed regularly, is essential, and should be provided in a receptacle large enough for bathing - an activity in which the birds frequently indulge (and another reason which makes them unsuitable as birds for small cages).

Sexing

When males and females are kept together it is easy to differentiate between sexes. The male is significantly larger than the female. When only one sex is present, it is a lot more difficult to sex kakariki.

Breeding

Kakariki are not difficult birds to breed in captivity if they are well fed and well housed. But there are a number of very important points to take into consideration:
Only one pair per aviary
Do not house with other bird species
Always provide at least two nest boxes in each aviary
When the birds have young ensure they get plenty of green food, and food supplements.
Kakariki can breed at 8 months of age but they should be discouraged from doing so until about 12 months old.

They are not fussy about the size or shape of the nesting box, but as a guide, a box with a 200mm square base and 300-400 mm high is adequate. The box can be placed outside the shelter area, but ensure that the inside is reasonably waterproof. The nesting material should consist of a mixture of 50:50 damp peat moss and untreated wood shavings (or fine chunky bark) well compacted in the bottom of the box to a depth of 50-75mm.

Kakariki often lay 6-9 eggs, laid at 2-day intervals. The eggs hatch after 19 days and it is not unusual to have 7 chicks in a nest. With this number of young, the size varies immensely. Often the smallest 2 or 3 perish if food source is not plentiful.

From a few weeks of age, the chicks are fed mainly by the cock bird as the hen usually starts another nest. To avoid the hen feather plucking the young birds, and the young damaging the second clutch of eggs, a second nesting box should be placed in the aviary. At this time a third nest box is also needed for the male to roost in at night.

Young kakariki are fully fledged at around 6 weeks old, but may be fed sporadically by either parent for a short time after this before becoming independent.

As kakariki can breed readily, their breeding life is somewhat shorter than similarly sized parakeets. As a general rule, always keep some young birds back each season to augment the next year's breeding stock.

Mutations

There have currently been 2 forms of mutation recorded in captive kakariki:
Pied: Interspersed patches of yellow and green on the body.
Lutino: Completely yellow body with appropriate crown.