Overview
The New Zealand Department of Conservation has launched a live stream of Rakiura, a 23-year-old Kākāpō parrot, sitting on her first egg of the 2026 breeding season. This provides unprecedented real-time access to the breeding process of one of the world’s rarest birds.
Key Facts
- Rakiura returns to the same nest site for all seven breeding seasons since 2008 - enables consistent monitoring and protective modifications to her underground cavity
- She has produced 9 living descendants across six breeding seasons - demonstrates successful conservation breeding outcomes for this critically endangered species
- Livestream went live immediately after she laid her first egg at 4:30pm NZ time on January 22nd - allows global audiences to witness critical breeding moments in real-time
- The nest is equipped with a specially installed hatch for monitoring - enables non-invasive scientific observation of eggs and chicks
- Stream is accessible via YouTube with time-lapse capture capabilities - democratizes access to rare wildlife conservation moments for educational and research purposes
Why It Matters
This matters because it represents transparent, real-time conservation science - allowing the public to witness and understand the intensive efforts required to save critically endangered species like the Kākāpō, while providing valuable breeding data for researchers worldwide.