Young kokako chicks weigh in
Auckland Zoo bird keepers Casey and Erin have helped Ark in the Park to band and weigh tiny 15-day old kokako chicks.
Ark in the Park is an open sanctuary and conservation project in the Waitākere Ranges near Auckland.
Zoo staff joined volunteers to take an annual census in the west Auckland nature reserve, recording all banded and un-banded birds.
About 1600 pairs of kokako remain in the north island.
The census is held to note their presence in the forest and determine if their populations are growing.
The bands are used to identify each individual bird which bears its own unique colour combination.
Data gleaned from the survey is used to scout out nests.
The chicks are moved from the nest for weighing and banding before being returned swiftly to their mother.
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