There\u2019s been a baby boom among one of the world\u2019s most endangered parrot species \u2014 and officials in New Zealand are squawking about it. <\/p>\n
A record 90 chicks have been added to the count of the endangered kakapo parrot, bringing the population to a record 325 birds, the New Zealand Conservation Department said in a statement<\/a> Tuesday. <\/p>\n The fledglings of the bird, which is native to New Zealand, were bred this year. The youngest is now 150 days old, a milestone at which the baby birds are considered independent enough to be added to the tally. <\/p>\n And every bird counts. <\/p>\n The green parrots do not fly and have a waddling gait, making them an easy target for ground predators. The kakapo is also the heaviest parrot species, with males weighing up to 9 pounds. <\/p>\n The bright birds, with finely blotched yellow-green plumage and large gray beaks, are also thought to be among the longest\u2011living bird species, reaching 60\u201390 years, the statement from the department said. <\/p>\n The nocturnal parrots with their owl-like faces remain critically endangered, conservationists say. <\/p>\n \u201cThere is still a long road of recovery ahead, but ninety chicks in a single season is a record. In the early years of recovery, it took 16 years to produce that many chicks,\u201d said Deidre Vercoe, manager of the department\u2019s kakapo recovery operations.<\/p>\n