The Parakeet

The New Zealand Parakeet

This is a parakeet it is a beautiful forest bird

that is native to New Zealand.

The Red-crowned parakeet, commonly known by its Maori name kakariki, is a long tailed bright green parrot with a red crown and forehead and a band of red which extends from the bill through the eye and beyond. It has crimson rump patches and bright blue on its wing coverts and some outer flight feathers.

Kakariki are very rare in the North Island, though this wasn't always the case. They were common in the 1880s but introduced predators such as feral cats, stoats and ship rats decimated the population. They are even rarer on the South Island, but are widespread on Stewart Island and many predator-free island reserves, including Tiritiri Matangi.