The kakariki is a bright green New Zealand parakeet famous for spending much of its time foraging on the ground. Tireless and inquisitive, it needs a large, horizontally oriented flight and constant enrichment.
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Active, ground-foraging New Zealand parakeets known for their playful, restless nature.
More kakarikis coming soon.
Habitat & space requirements
From the minimum an animal needs to be kept humanely, up to the ideal setup. Bigger is almost always better — minimums are floors, not targets.
Photo coming soon
Minimum
Flight cage (pair)
36 × 18 × 24 in, ½ in bar spacing
Kakariki are extremely active and ground-foraging, so even the humane minimum is a long 36 × 18 × 24 in flight cage with ½-inch bars, a deep layer of safe substrate, and floor-level foraging plus dense foliage and branches. They are sociable and do far better kept as a pair or small group than alone. Length for running and flying matters more than height.
Recommended
Long flight cage + foraging floor
48 × 24 × 24 in, ½ in bar spacing
Aim for a 48 × 24 × 24 in flight cage with ½-inch bars, a planted or grass-turf floor for scratching and foraging, branches, and rotating shreddable enrichment to burn their relentless energy. A compatible pair supports their social and breeding behaviour, though watch for the hen's tendency to over-breed. Keep them frost-free and well ventilated.
tewahipounamu / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Photo coming soon
Ideal
Planted walk-in aviary
Walk-in aviary, ≥ 6 ft long
The ideal is a planted walk-in aviary at least 6 ft long with growing grasses, shrubs, and ground litter that lets kakariki forage, dig, and fly as they would in the wild. A small compatible group thrives here, expressing the constant foraging activity that defines the species. Provide a sheltered, frost-free roosting area for the colder months.
Life & growth stages
How this animal changes through its life — each stage often has its own care, diet and space needs.
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Egg
Birds develop inside a hard-shelled egg incubated by the parent(s). Egg size, shell color, and clutch size vary by species; the embryo develops over days to weeks before hatching.
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Hatchling / Chick
Hatchlings are either altricial — naked, blind, and dependent on parents (typical of parrots and songbirds) — or precocial — downy, mobile, and self-feeding soon after hatching (typical of poultry and waterfowl). Down gives way to the first feathers.
Photo coming soon
Juvenile / Fledgling
Fledglings grow in their juvenile plumage and begin to fly and feed themselves, though they may still beg from parents at first. Juvenile feathering is often duller than the adult and is replaced as the bird matures.
Adult
Adults attain full body size and mature plumage, and are capable of breeding. Many species show distinct adult coloration, and in sexually dimorphic birds males and females differ in plumage, size, or markings.
(c) Archer Lamason, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) via iNaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/289747194
Color & pattern variants
Natural variants occur in the wild; selectively bred (man-made) variants were developed in captivity.
Kakariki are exceptionally active and spend much of their day on the ground scratching and digging, so floor area and flight length matter as much as height.
- **Minimum** — a single bird needs a cage no smaller than about 36×18×24 in (91×46×61 cm), oriented long rather than tall, with bar spacing of about 1.3–1.6 cm (1/2–5/8 in). Daily out-of-cage flight is essential at this size.
- **Recommended** — a flight cage 48×24×24 in (122×61×61 cm) or larger with floor foraging trays, branches, and abundant destructible toys.
- **Ideal** — a planted walk-in aviary several metres long that supports flight and natural ground-foraging behavior.
Provide foraging substrate or trays so they can express their digging instinct, plus a bathing dish. Keep them in a comfortable room-temperature range, draft-free, and away from PTFE/Teflon fumes, smoke, and aerosols. They are hardy in cool conditions but still need shelter from extremes.
Substrate
Because kakarikis love to scratch and forage on the ground, a deep layer of bird-safe litter or even a planted earth/grass floor in an aviary suits their natural behavior, with newspaper or paper litter as a simple indoor alternative. Keep ground substrate clean and dry to prevent worm and coccidia buildup, to which they are prone. Avoid aromatic cedar shavings.
Equipment & setup
Provide a long, horizontally oriented flight cage or aviary, as these birds are extremely active and need room to fly and forage rather than just climb. Include low perches and platforms, foraging trays, plenty of toys, a bathing dish, and full-spectrum lighting. They are cold-hardy but need shelter from frost, damp, and drafts.
Diet
Offer a small-parrot formulated pellet as the base, supplemented generously with fresh vegetables, leafy greens, sprouts, and some fruit, with a modest portion of a small-parakeet seed mix. Kakariki are enthusiastic eaters that benefit from a notably varied, vegetable- and greens-rich diet, and they relish foraging for food scattered in trays or substrate. Provide fresh water daily and a cuttlebone for calcium. Avocado, chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, salt, and onion/garlic are toxic to birds.
Behavior & temperament
Kakariki are almost perpetually busy — running, digging, climbing, and foraging on the ground far more than most parrots, which is part of their charm and the core of their care needs. They are generally quiet, with chattering and soft calls rather than loud screams, and they are inquisitive and acrobatic but tend to be less cuddly and more independent than many companion parrots. They breed readily and can be prolific, so unplanned pairs may produce many clutches; managing breeding is part of responsible keeping. They can be kept singly with plenty of interaction or in pairs, and because they are so active they should never be confined to a small cage for long periods.
Health
An avian veterinarian and routine wellness exams are recommended. Kakariki are generally hardy but, because they forage on the ground, can be more exposed to intestinal parasites and to soil-borne and fecal pathogens, so cleanliness and routine parasite screening matter. Hens that breed frequently are at risk of egg binding and of calcium depletion from over-laying, making breeding management and adequate calcium important. They can also be susceptible to fungal disease such as aspergillosis. Any lethargic, fluffed, or off-food bird should be examined promptly.
Tips, DIY & hacks
Scatter-feed sprouted seed, greens, and live or dried insects into a foraging tray or grass to satisfy their intense ground-scratching instinct. Because of their floor habits, deworm and faecal-test regularly and rotate aviary ground to break parasite cycles. They are short-lived and fast-breeding, so provide ample enrichment to channel their boundless energy.
Origin & history
The red-crowned kakariki is native to New Zealand and its outlying islands, where 'kākāriki' is the Māori name for the green parakeets of the genus Cyanoramphus. Once widespread, several mainland populations declined sharply after the arrival of introduced mammalian predators, and conservation now relies heavily on predator-free offshore islands and sanctuaries. The species breeds very readily in captivity, which made it well established in international aviculture, so companion kakariki are captive-bred and relatively available even though wild populations remain a conservation concern.
Anecdotes & owner lore
Community experience and cultural notes — not veterinary advice. Every animal is an individual; treat these as colour, not care instructions.
Aviculturists often joke that kakariki are less like typical parrots and more like tiny green chickens, given how much time they spend scratching and digging through the cage floor, flinging substrate with abandon in search of imagined treasure. Keepers describe them as 'always on,' rarely sitting still, and famously prolific breeders — leave a compatible pair together with a nest box and you may quickly find yourself with far more kakariki than you bargained for. Their ground-loving, ever-foraging nature makes them entertaining to watch but also means a bored kakariki in a too-small cage is a recipe for frustration on both sides.
Common ailments
Egg binding (dystocia) — common
Intestinal parasites — common — Their habit of foraging on the cage floor raises exposure; keep substrate clean.
Reviewed and signed off by: KinStation Editorial — pre-launch draft (pending DVM review)
