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kakariki
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Of
the
five
extant
species
of
parakeets
native
to
New
Zealand
only
two,
the
red
crowned
parakeet
(Cyanoramphus
novaezelandiae)
and
the
yellow
crowned
parakeet
(Cyanoramphus
auriceps)
are
most
commonly
kept
in
captivity
and
are
usually
referred
to
as
kakariki.
At
the
National
Wildlife
Centre
we
have
two
female
yellow-crowned
kakariki,
called
Kouru
and
Kowhai,
that
the
staff
hand-reared
back
in
1998.
When
the
chicks
hatched
on
the
30/10/98
they
weighed
6g
and
5g!
They
grew
very
quickly
and
by
the
time
they
were
45
days
old
they
weighed
54.1g
and
50.4g,
which
is
about
what
they
weigh
now
as
adults.
Kouru
is
the
boss
and
sometimes
chases
Kowhai,
but
in
general
they
get
on
well
and
are
happy,
lively,
inquisitive
parakeets.
Their
green
plumage
blends
perfectly
with
the
foliage
in
their
aviary,
which
means
they
are
often
heard
well
before
they
are
seen
darting
through
the
trees.
They
have
distinctive
calls
which
sound
like
"ki-ki-ki"
and
spend
a
lot
of
the
day
chattering
to
each
other
(no
doubt
about
all
the
people
passing
by
their
aviary).
We
feed
the
kakariki
a
captive
diet
of
sunflower
seeds,
carrots,
peas,
corn
kernels,
apple,
pear
and
walnuts.
They
also
feed
on
the
trees
growing
in
their
aviary.
In
the
wild
their
diet
would
consist
of
seeds,
buds
and
shoots
of
shrubs,
fruits
and
flowers
and
invertebrates.
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