Hot on the heels of Valentine’s Day comes more good news from Cupid. New Zealand’s beloved kākāpō, 2020 Bird of the Year winner (and recipient of recent funding from our Soar Initiative), is currently in the middle of successful breeding season.

Since introducing the Soar Initiative in 2020 we have provided support both for the Orokonui Ecosanctuary on the north coast of Dunedin and for Forest & Bird’s efforts around New Zealand. Now we’re proud to share the news of our most recent Soar recipient – the Kākāpō Recovery Programme.

A record 71 Kākāpo chicks have survived through to juvenile age in 2019 – far surpassing the previous high of 32. Read on for more info and more great news!

Five birds New Zealand has taken under our wing.

After all the celebrity-making antics of the recent Bird Of The Year competition we started thinking back over other birds that have hogged the spotlight over the years. Here are our favourite five…