Kākāpō

How it was counted

New Zealand's Department of Conservation counts every known kākāpō bird by bird, so the figure is in birds, covers the whole population and carries no range. A bird joins the count when it is, in the department's words, "considered independent enough to join the official tally".

Every known kākāpō is counted bird by bird, so 325 is the whole number as of 1 September 2026, not an estimate.

Earlier figures

• 236 on 6 January 2026: the previous count. Source: New Zealand Department of Conservation.

What moves it

New Zealand's Department of Conservation names predators, disease and low hatching success as the pressures on the kākāpō. It names hunting, predators and habitat loss as the causes of the historic decline.

• predators, disease and low hatching success. Predators, disease, low hatching success Source: New Zealand Department of Conservation.
• historic collapse after human arrival. kākāpō numbers plummeted after human arrival due to hunting, predators and habitat loss Source: New Zealand Department of Conservation.

Who is helping

New Zealand's Department of Conservation says its Kākāpō Recovery Programme and Ngāi Tahu have worked together since 1995 to rebuild the population from 51 birds. Meridian Energy, the programme's national partner, supports it with money, infrastructure, engineering expertise and volunteers.

The next count

The count is updated on a birth or death, so no date is known for the next figure (checked 12 November 2026).

Sources

• New Zealand Department of Conservation

  • New Zealand Department of Conservation Last checked 12 November 2026.
  • Kākāpō breeding season officially underway : Media release 6 January 2026 Last checked 12 November 2026.
  • Kākāpō: New Zealand native land birds Last checked 12 November 2026.

What changed

• 12 November 2026 Added to Live Species, on the wall (1,000 or fewer): 325 (Head count, September 2026).

Every change on the site