Kaka

What a thrill to have visits from Kaka at the end of July 2010. They were after the citrus fruit in my orchard. They use their powerful beaks to tear off loose bark, and break up decaying wood to get insects and their larvae. They eat many kinds of seeds and succulent fruits from the trees of the Miro,Kahikatea, Matai, Puriri, Poroporo and Tawa, and feed off the flowering Rata.The Kaka turns and moves constantly using its beak to steady itself. With its foot it holds fruit or flowers up to its bill. It obtains the seeds of the Kauri by opening the cone. It has a brush tongue to take nectar from flowers. When on the ground it hops more than it walks. It lays up to five eggs in the hollow of a tree and incubates for about 24 days, leaving the nest for brief periods morning and evening. The ... read moremale feeds her regularly. Both feed the nestlings for about 10 weeks, and the male plays a greater part in their care after fledging - usually two survive). They can live up to 20 years.