The red- and yellow-crowned kākāriki are emerald gems in the native forest crown.

These two long-tailed parakeets embody the vibrant green hues of Aotearoa’s native forests. Little wonder then that, in te reo Maori, ‘kākāriki’ also means ‘green’.

Like their bigger and bolder kea and kākā relatives, kākāriki are also curious and energetic. When flying they are swift and agile enough to jink and veer rapidly, which helps them to avoid their aerial nemesis, the kārearea New Zealand falcon.

The red-crowned is the larger of the two, growing up to 28cm and 80g, with rātā-red feathering that extends from the bill onto the crown and behind the eyes. But although it may have been anointed Bird of the Year in 2010, the yellow-crowned kakariki’s golden glow outshines it.

The yellow-crowned bird is slightly smaller, growing up to 25cm and 50g. It has a small red band of feathers above the bill, and above this a larger patch of yellow feathers that extends onto the crown. It has no red behind the eyes.

Both species have blue highlights on their larger flight feathers. Feather colour researcher Jessica Peart says it is likely that kākāriki feathers can reflect ultraviolet light in a way that is visible to other native bird species.

Kākāriki are well equipped for climbing around their native forest habitat. They have ‘zygodactyl’ feet – two toes pointing forward and two backward, each with a strong claw. Their powerful bill also comes in handy as a third ‘foot’ when climbing around.

Both birds are strong flyers, being able to cross bodies of water up to 100km wide, possibly further, since at some point they successfully colonised the Chatham and subantarctic islands.

Yellow-crowned kākāriki are mainly found in native forests around the Southern Alps, Kahurangi, the volcanic plateau and offshore islands including Hauturu Little Barrier Island, Mana and the subantarctic Auckland Islands. They are mostly limited to tall native forest on the mainland and low scrub on offshore islands.

Red-crowned kākāriki are now mostly restricted to offshore islands such as Tiritiri Matangi, Kāpiti and Matiu Somes, plus the Kermadec, Chatham and Auckland islands. The exception is Wellington, where they have spread out from Zealandia into adjacent urban parks and gardens. They live in a variety of habitats from regenerating scrub to more forested islands such as on Hauturu Little Barrier.

Yellow-crowned kākāriki feed mainly in the forest canopy, while red-crowned kākāriki feed on the ground or in low shrubby vegetation. Both species eat mainly forest fruits, seeds and buds from various native plants, and small invertebrates such as scale insects. They use their tongue to feed on nectar and often hold food in one foot while they eat.

The red-crowned kākāriki is also known to eat carrion. When feral goats were eradicated from Macauley in the Kermadec Islands, red-crowned kākāriki were seen feeding on the carcasses. They have also been observed scavenging marine shellfish.

Although yellow-crowned kākāriki spend most of their time foraging high up in trees, they sometimes descend to the forest floor to eat seeds and to drink or bathe.

Interestingly, kākāriki preen their wing and tail feathers with a mixture of chewed aromatic leaves and preen-oil, which helps protect them against parasites.

Like kea and kākā, kākāriki are monogamous. Yellow-crowned kākāriki build their nests high in forest, mostly in tree holes. Red-crowned kākāriki build theirs lower down and are cavity nesters, favouring hollows in trees, but they will also use holes in the ground, in cliff faces, on rocky slopes or under dense vegetation.

Both make similarly high-pitched squeaky ki-ki-ki-ki-ki or kek-kik-kek calls in flight. If you hear one calling, look up and you might catch a glimpse of it streaking across the sky like an emerald shooting star!

Michael Szabo is the author of Native Birds of Aotearoa and the editor of Birds New Zealand magazine.

Note: There are six similar-sized kākāriki parakeets in the New Zealand region: orange-fronted, Forbes’, Reischek’s and Antipodes, plus one each on Norfolk Island in Australia (Norfolk parakeet) and Grande Terre (New Caledonian red-crowned parakeet).