Kākāriki / Yellow-crowned parakeet

Cyanoramphus auriceps

At Risk - Declining

Often mistaken for a flash of green in the forest canopy, the yellow-crowned parakeet is anything but ordinary. With a vivid crimson forehead and golden crown, this energetic forest dweller brings colour and life to Aotearoa’s native bush – but its presence is becoming increasingly rare. Once widespread, these taonga now rely on predator control and healthy forests to survive.

Quick Facts:

• Yellow-crowned parakeets (kākāriki) are the most widespread of New Zealand’s native parakeets, often found in mature forests across the North and South Islands.
• Their bright green plumage, red eye-stripe and distinctive yellow crown set them apart from the rarer orange-fronted parakeet.
• Highly agile and social, they feed on seeds, fruits and invertebrates – often foraging high in the canopy.
• Threatened by introduced predators like stoats and rats, as well as habitat loss and disease.

Protecting kākāriki means restoring native forests, supporting predator control efforts, and keeping our ecosystems vibrant and noisy with their chattering calls.

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