Red-crowned Parakeet

Overview

The red-crowned parakeet, also known by the Māori name kākāriki, is a small parrot native to New Zealand. Listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List, it is characterised by its bright green plumage and red head pattern.

Identification

• Bright yellow-green plumage with a crimson forehead, lores, eye-stripes and front of the crown
• Red patches on either side of the rump; dark blue outerwing visible in flight
• Grey or pale brown legs and feet with a white to grey bill tipped in black
• Soft, musical chattering calls that are stronger and lower-pitched than those of the yellow-crowned parakeet

Habitat

This versatile bird inhabits dense temperate rainforests, coastal forests, scrubland, forest edges and open areas. It is primarily found on the offshore islands of New Zealand, including Stewart Island and the Chatham Islands, though it survives in large forest blocks on the mainland in Northland, Coromandel and the central North Island.

Diet

Red-crowned parakeets are generalist feeders that consume flowers, fruits, seeds, leaves, buds and small invertebrates such as aphids. Their feeding habits are seasonal, favouring flowers in winter and spring and seeds in summer and autumn.

Did you know?

The Māori expression for noisy chattering or gossiping, 'Ko te rua porete hai whakariki', literally translates to 'just like a nest of kākāriki'.