Kakariki - New Zealand Parakeets

In te reo Māori, the indigenous language of Aotearoa New Zealand, kākāriki is the term used to describe the small parakeets found on the mainland and surrounding islands. All species and subspecies of New Zealand parakeet share the characteristic of green plumage, and kākāriki also serves as the word for this colour.

Issue information

Kākāriki are small moss green-coloured parrots with a few blue flight feathers and long tails. Each species is diagnostically different, often with bright red or yellow feathering on the forehead and crown, near the eye and on the side of the rump. Like many of New Zealand’s native birds, they are threatened by introduced mammalian predators.

Miniature sheet and first day covers

The miniature sheet and first day cover for this issue both showcased the striking red-crowned parakeet, while the first day cover captured the Antipodes Island parakeet nibbling on a spear of grass, just one item in its varied diet.

Presentation pack

You could learn more about the New Zealand’s charming parakeets with the presentation pack. Guest writer Dr Hugh Robertson is a Fellow of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand (Birds New Zealand), and co-author of The Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand and The Hand Guide to the Birds of New Zealand.

Product listing for Kakariki - New Zealand Parakeets

Image	Title	Description	Price
	Single Stamp	Single $1.30 'Yellow-crowned parakeet' gummed stamp. By feeding mainly on invertebrates, flowers and seeds in the canopy of beech and podocarp forests, and by nesting high up in trees, Cyanoramphus auriceps have been more resistant to the threat of mammalian predators than other species.	$1.30
	Single Stamp	Single $1.30 'Orange-fronted parakeet' gummed stamp. Because they feed on invertebrates, flowers and seeds in the lower levels of the forest, Cyanoramphus malherbi are very vulnerable to predators, and so remain one of New Zealand’s most threatened birds.	$1.30
	Single Stamp	Single $2.60 'Red-crowned parakeet' gummed stamp. Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae have largely disappeared from the New Zealand mainland, but flourish on many islands from the subtropical Kermadec Islands to the subantarctic Auckland Islands, and many offshore islands of Aotearoa.	$2.60
	Single Stamp	Single $3.00 'Forbes’ parakeet' gummed stamp. In the distant past, the ancestors of yellow-crowned parakeets reached the Chatham Islands, and slowly changed sufficiently to be recognised as a distinct species, Cyanoramphus forbesi.	$3.30
	Single Stamp	Single $4.00 'Antipodes Islands parakeet' gummed stamp. Although they can fly, Cyanoramphus unicolor prefer to walk and climb through vegetation. Unusually, they feed on fat from seabird carcasses, on broken eggs, and can occasionally kill small seabirds.	$4.00
	Miniature Sheet	Mint, used or cancelled gummed miniature sheet.	$12.50
	First Day Cover	First day cover with five gummed stamps affixed. Cancelled on the first day of issue.	$13.00
	Miniature Sheet First Day Cover	First day cover with gummed miniature sheet affixed. Cancelled on the first day of issue.	$13.00
	Presentation Pack	You could learn more about the New Zealand’s charming parakeets with the presentation pack. Guest writer Dr Hugh Robertson is a Fellow of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand (Birds New Zealand), and co-author of The Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand and The Hand Guide to the Birds of New Zealand.	$29.90

Technical information