Re-introduction of captive-bred Malherbe’s parakeet to Maud Island, Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand

Summary

Malherbe's parakeet (Cyanoramphus malherbi), a Critically Endangered New Zealand endemic only recently recognized as a distinct species from the similar yellow-crowned parakeet, survived in just three remnant South Island populations totaling roughly 500 birds when the Department of Conservation and Isaac Wildlife Trust launched a captive breeding program to supply predator-free island reintroductions, beginning on Chalky Island in 2005 and on Maud Island, Marlborough Sounds, in 2007. Maud Island was chosen for its coastal and regenerating forest, absence of other parakeet species that could cause hybridization, and status as effectively predator-free apart from occasional stoat incursions. Starting March 2007, 68 captive-bred parakeets, evenly split 34 males and 34 females and individually leg-banded, were flown and helicoptered from the Christchurch breeding facility to the island across eight release events of three to 14 birds each, spaced two to eleven months apart depending on captive fledgling availability, with 20 birds also fitted with tail-mounted transmitters. Three months after the first 11-bird release, 72% were confirmed alive, six in breeding pairs, with courtship observed within a month, two active nests within two months, and the first three fledged juveniles confirmed within three months; unbanded (wild-hatched) parakeets have been sighted consistently since, including two nesting pairs observed in November 2008. Major difficulties included restricted monitoring access to protect co-occurring endangered species like the Maud Island frog, and disagreements between conservation managers and academic researchers over acceptable handling and data-collection methods. The project rates itself Successful, citing measurable growth in the species' global population and expanded geographic range.