Quick Facts
- Type
- Bird
- Size
- About 45 cm long
- Weight
- 390–560 g (14–20 oz)
- Habitat
- Native forest, now mainly predator-controlled areas
- Diet
- Omnivore — nectar, fruit, seeds, sap and invertebrates
- Active Time
- Diurnal, active by day
- Lifespan
- Up to 20 years in the wild, longer in captivity
- It is closely related to the alpine Kea but lives in forest rather than open mountains.
- Crimson-red feathers on the underwings and belly are hidden by olive-brown body plumage at rest.
- It strips bark from trees to lap up sap and dig out wood-boring grubs, leaving scarred trunks.
- Predation by introduced stoats, rats and possums has made it dependent on predator-controlled forest and islands.
About the New Zealand Kaka
The New Zealand Kaka is a large, forest-dwelling parrot closely related to the alpine Kea but restricted to native forest rather than open mountains. Its olive-brown body, topped with a pale grey-white crown, hides crimson-red feathers on the underwings and belly that show in flight. It feeds on nectar, fruit, seeds and invertebrates, and also strips bark from trees to lap up sap and dig out wood-boring grubs, leaving distinctive scarred trunks behind. Once common across New Zealand, it has been hit hard by predation from introduced stoats, rats and possums, and now survives mainly in predator-controlled forest and on offshore islands.
Keep exploring
Related animals
Peregrine Falcon
Mandarin Duck
Eurasian Eagle-Owl
Indian Peafowl
Atlantic Puffin
Vervain Hummingbird
Bald Eagle
American Flamingo
Emperor Penguin
Snowy Owl
Toco Toucan
Chestnut-bellied Guan
Or spin for another random animal on the explorer, or browse all species in the full directory.