Red-crowned Kakariki

About the species

A parrot that lives on the ground, not on a perch

The red-crowned kakariki is one of the most ground-active parrots kept as pets, spending much of its time on the aviary floor rather than up on a perch - this is a core trait of the species, not just a quirk. In the wild in New Zealand it spends much of the day foraging through forest leaf litter for seeds, fruit and insects, and that instinct stays just as strong in birds bred in captivity.

If an owner doesn't accommodate this, a kakariki will redirect the urge to dig elsewhere - gnawing wooden aviary parts, paper, or even a cage-mate's feathers. The fix is simple: line the aviary floor with a safe substrate (untreated paper, chopped hay, or a dedicated foraging litter) that the bird can dig through and search for hidden food.

A strong need to actually fly

A red-crowned kakariki needs a genuine daily opportunity to fly, not just hop between perches. It's one of the most physically active small parrots, constantly on the move - flying, climbing the mesh, hanging upside down and darting between perches faster than most related species.

The aviary should be as elongated as possible to allow real flight, and the bird also needs supervised daily time out of the cage in a safe room. A lack of exercise shows up quickly in this species - energy that isn't burned off in flight tends to come out as louder calling or chewing on equipment.

Moderately noisy, but not a quiet housemate

Compared with most parrots, the red-crowned kakariki isn't considered loud, though that doesn't mean it's silent. For most of the day it chatters softly, and louder, repeated calling shows up mainly during flight or when it's startled - for example if something sudden frightens it or the room gets chaotic.

That generally makes it workable in an apartment, though not necessarily ideal behind very thin walls or with neighbors sensitive to every sound.

Company: a pair, a group, or a single kakariki

It's recommended to give a kakariki the company of another bird of its own species, since in the wild it lives in pairs and small flocks. A single kakariki can do well on its own given plenty of human attention and a daily enrichment routine, but that demands consistent day-to-day involvement from the owner.

Living alongside other bird species is possible, but only conditionally - outside the breeding season kakarikis generally get along with other calm small parrots, but during breeding they become territorial and can turn aggressive, so it's best to separate them from cage-mates during that period.

Diet and daily enrichment

The diet should be built around a quality seed mix or extruded pellets for small parrots, supplemented with fresh vegetables, a small amount of fruit, and sprouted seeds. Since this species naturally forages on the ground, enrichment works best when food is scattered across the substrate or hidden in foraging toys rather than served only in a bowl.

Regularly changing where food is hidden keeps the natural foraging pattern intact and reduces the boredom that, in such an active species, is a common trigger for unwanted behavior.

Health and lifespan

With good care in captivity, a red-crowned kakariki typically lives around 10 to 15 years. Care is considered moderately demanding - the species isn't among the easiest to keep, but it isn't among the most demanding parrots either, provided it has enough room to move and regular enrichment.

Because this is such an active species, the biggest welfare risk is a lack of movement and stimulation - long-term confinement in too small a cage, without opportunities to forage and fly, can lead to stress, excessive feather picking, or louder, repetitive calling.

Who a red-crowned kakariki suits

A red-crowned kakariki suits beginners, but mainly committed ones - people ready for a consistent daily routine of flight time, foraging setup and rotating enrichment, not hands-off owners expecting a calm bird tucked quietly in a corner.

The species' background is worth noting too: on mainland New Zealand it has become extremely rare because of introduced predators such as rats, stoats and cats, and its populations today survive mainly on predator-free islands. Birds kept in Europe are all captive-bred and unrelated to those threatened wild populations, so keeping them as pets has no impact on the species' status in the wild.

Pros & cons