Enrichment can come in all shapes and sizes, and today we want to share with you some of our favourite ways to enrich our native bird whānau at Auckland Zoo!
Bird keepers Nat, Casey and Alex have captured some beautiful pictures of our tīeke (saddleback) and kākāriki karaka (orange fronted parakeets) enjoying some marigold flowers, foraging through rotten logs for insects, and feasting on some coprosma berries.
See how we enrich our native bird whānau at Auckland Zoo!
Rebecca Reid, Auckland Zoo
These kākāriki karaka are the fledglings from this year’s breeding season, and as soon as we are able, they will be released to the wild. Thought to be extinct until 25 years ago, New Zealand’s rarest forest bird is now thriving in parts of Canterbury with its most successful breeding season in more than a decade. Native forests, particularly matagouri forests, are vital to ensure the survival of this special parakeet, that particularly love to feast of the seeds of this endemic tree.
We’re proud to be helping boost the numbers of these nationally endangered birds with our partners The Department of Conservation and Isaacs Conservation Trust. You help us with this work every time you visit the zoo or make a donation to our Conservation Fund.