Killing kākā with kindness
Wellington’s kākā may be enjoying a remarkable recovery, but experts are warning we may be loving the green parrots to death.
Zealandia conservation manager Dr Danielle Shanahan said over-feeding of the endemic parrot was now contributing to a rise in kākā getting metabolic bone disease, effectively rickets for birds.
‘‘People love to interact with them, but the end result of that is when people feed kākā food they get the wrong nutrients in their diet.’’
She said a single home in the capital could be filling the tummies of up to 70 kākā,
Metabolic bone disease can be fatal for kākā chicks, as they take regurgitated food from their parents.
Eating a poor diet can prevent their bones from developing, particularly when they are still growing.
Often there are no external signs of the disease, but in serious cases they can have fatal beak and foot deformities.
Some people were feeding huge numbers of kākā flocking to their backyard, Shanahan said.
‘‘Even if people are feeding them a little bit, it’s not good for the birds.’’
Shanahan said nuts, almonds and walnuts were the worst for the birds, but any human food was bad for them.
Anzac biscuits and bread have also been known to be on the kākā menu, she said. ‘‘It stops normal growth in young birds.’’
When they were feeding naturally, cracking open a nut would be a lot of effort for a kākā, slowing down their feeding.
‘‘They’re not having to work for it to get so much food.’’
Food provided at Zealandia for kākā was safe and nutritious, and Shanahan said she had not seen anyone feed them human food inside the sanctuary.
It’s estimated there are 300 to 500 kākā in Wellington today.