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Ancient droppings may help save kakapo parrots from extinction

The kakapo, a flightless parrot, only survives on a few predator-free islands in New Zealand – but preserved faeces could inform the search for new habitats

By Carolyn Wilke

6 April 2023

Conservation workers want to learn more about what kakapos can eat to help them find new habitats

Alex Boast

Preserved droppings may help find new food sources and habitats for the kakapo (Strigops habroptilus), a critically endangered bird native to New Zealand.

These large flightless parrots are like the pandas of the avian world, says Alexander Boast of Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research in New Zealand. “They’re very adorable and very difficult to get to breed,” he says.

The mossy green birds used to live all over New Zealand, but their populations were …

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