If you want to develop your listening skills, try these tasks as you listen to the text. The answers are at the bottom of this page. Thanks to Natasha Groves for preparing the tasks.
If you want to listen and read, just scroll down to the News story.
Use the vocabulary list to check the meanings of some words before you listen.
Vocabulary
census – in this context, an official process of counting birds
breed – if animals breed, they mate in order to have babies
territory – the area that an animal or bird regards as its own and will defend against other animals
pest – an animal or insect that destroys crops or, in New Zealand, that eats native birds e.g. possums
habitat – the natural home of a plant or animal
thrive – to become very strong and healthy
chick – baby bird
hatch – when a baby bird comes out of its egg
offshore – existing in the sea, not far from the land
sanctuary – an area for animals or birds where they are protected and cannot be hunted
mammal – a type of animal that drinks milk from its mother’s body when it is young
possum – a small furry animal which climbs trees
extinct – if a type of bird or animal is extinct, it no longer exists, or there are no more of that type
the kōkako –
the kākāpō –
the kākā –
Photos from Department of Conservation https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/birds/birds-a-z/
Try these activities while listening
1. Listening for main ideas
First, just listen to the text, taking notes if you wish. What information can you catch during this first listening?
2. Now listen again and answer the following questions:
- Where are the Hūnua Ranges?
- How many breeding pairs of kōkako have been found in the Hūnua Ranges?
- What does it take young kōkako around two years to do?
- When were there (a) around 500 kōkako, (b) around 50 kōkako, and (c) 25 kōkako in the Hūnua Ranges?
- For the kākāpō, what has this year seen?
- Why is this great news?
- How many adult kākāpō are there now? And how many were there in the mid-1990s?
- What sort of bird is the kākāpō?
- What was the kākā recently named?
- When did all New Zealand bird populations decline?
News story
There has been some good news about three New Zealand birds recently: the kōkako, the kākāpō, and the kākā.
The number of kōkako has reached record levels in the Hūnua Ranges, southeast of Auckland city. According to Auckland Council’s latest kōkako census, there are 418 breeding pairs of the birds in the bush in the Hūnua Ranges. That is an increase of 61 percent since the last census in 2022. There are many young kōkako now which are surviving and growing old enough to breed themselves. It takes around two years for young kōkako to establish a territory and to start breeding.
Researchers have estimated that there were around 500 kōkako in the Hūnua Ranges in the 1950s. By the late 1960s, the numbers had fallen to around 50 birds, and in 1994 there were only 25 birds remaining. Since then, many people have worked hard to control pests and protect the habitat so that the kōkako survive and thrive again.
This year has seen the largest kākāpō breeding season on record. 106 chicks have hatched, and 99 have survived. This is great news because the kākāpō is one of the rarest birds in New Zealand. There are only 235 adult kākāpō now, up from about 50 birds in the mid-1990s. Kākāpō are a large, green, flightless parrot. They only live on protected offshore islands and in a sanctuary in Waikato. They are carefully managed by conservation groups to ensure their survival.
The kākā was recently named World Parrot of the Year, in an international competition run by the World Parrot Trust. Like all New Zealand birds, the kākā populations declined after the arrival of people and introduced mammals such as rats and possums. The Chatham Islands kākā are extinct. According to the Department of Conservation, the South Island kākā are Nationally Vulnerable, which means that they face high risk of extinction in the medium term. However, the North Island kākā are considered At Risk Recovering, which means that their numbers are increasing.
Answers – you don’t have to write a complete sentence as long as you have the key idea in your answer.
a. Where are the Hūnua Ranges?
Southeast of Auckland city
b. How many breeding pairs of kōkako have been found in the Hūnua Ranges?
418
c. What does it take young kōkako around two years to do?
To establish a territory and to start breeding
d. When were there (a) around 500 kōkako, (b) around 50 kōkako, and (c) 25 kōkako in the Hūnua Ranges?
In the 1950s; by the late 1960s; in 1994
e. For the kākāpō, what has this year seen?
The largest breeding season on record
f. Why is this great news?
Because the kākāpō is one of the rarest birds in New Zealand
g. How many adult kākāpō are there now? And how many were there in the mid-1990s?
235; about 50
h. What sort of bird is the kākāpō?
A large, green, flightless parrot
i. What was the kākā recently named?
World Parrot of the Year
j. When did all New Zealand bird populations decline?
After the arrival of people and introduced mammals such as rats and possums.