Waynebo's death a sad blow for kakapo rescuers

Waynebo did his bit to help save his species by fathering at least 11 chicks. Photo / Supplied

A male kakapo believed to be around 80 years old has been found dead at an already disappointing time - when the birds are not expected to breed this year.

The male, known as Waynebo, was found on January 2 on Codfish Island, off Southland, where the Kakapo Recovery Programme is taking place.

The programme comes under the Department of Conservation and has been running for 21 years.

Initial investigations found that a wound to the bird's chest may have been the cause of death; however, it is now thought he simply died of old age and that he got the wound after he died.

Kakapo Recovery Programme manager Deidre Vercoe Scott said Waynebo's death was a blow to the team, who were working hard to save the species from extinction.

"With the death of Waynebo, we've got a total of 66 males left and a grand total of 128 birds," she said.

"There's only 128 in the whole world now, so it's always a shame when the population drops even by one."

It was also sad, she said, given the birds are not expected to breed this year, because of a poor rimu mast.

"They don't breed every year," Miss Vercoe Scott said.

"They only breed in years when the rimu fruit masts - so when the rimu's producing lots and lots of fruit - and naturally that only happens every two or three years."

Waynebo was one of a few kakapo that were found on Stewart Island in the late 1980s and transferred to nearby Codfish Island for the breeding programme.

Miss Vercoe Scott said Waynebo had fathered at least 11 chicks.

"He has been around with the population for a while and thankfully he has had a few chicks, so he's done really well.

"We've lost him, but he's got kids and grandkids, still."