GLOBAL GOALS

Super breeders

Agence France-Presse · Jun 30, 2026, 3:39 PM

NACHO, part of a breeding pair of the rare New Zealand kakariki karaka parakeets, has twice been declared extinct, only to be rediscovered. There are around 450 of the birds left, mainly in sanctuaries and predator-free islands but also in wild populations. — PHOTOGRAPH courtesy of LEIGH PERCASKY/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — Two critically endangered New Zealand native kakariki karaka or orange-fronted parakeet paired up in 2024 at the Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust in Christchurch have since produced 55 chicks, including 33 this year alone.

Super breeders Nacho and Trixie are now responsible for more than 10 percent of the total population. There are around 450 of the birds left, mainly in sanctuaries and predator-free islands but also in wild populations.