Nora the kākāpō puts in effort to save species with mating marathon

We’ve come a long way, baby.

The shift in popular culture seen by shows such as the rebooted Sex and the City is just reflecting what nature has always known – that age is just a number when it comes to a woman’s carnal appetites.

Enter Nora the kākāpō, the matriarch who has raised generations of the endangered parrots – and can still entertain two suitors in the one evening.

Conservation biologist Dr Andrew Digby shared the news on Twitter, revealing that although she is no spring parrot, Nora can still keep up with the pace.

“Even though she’s an old kākāpō, Nora found the energy to mate with two males last night – including for 83 minutes with Guapo!” Digby breathlessly announced.

“She produced chicks in 1981, and is still going strong.”

It is no surprise that, given New Zealanders’ deep love for the quirky parrot, the tweet was soon flooded with responses.

“OMG Nora, aren’t you bloody tired?” asked one concerned commenter.

“Geddit Nora,” was another succinct response.

One long-suffering husband shared that his wife had demanded to be introduced to Guapo.

Another kākāpo tragic noted that she couldn’t help “reading these kakapo mating updates in a Geordie Shore recap voice”.

Digby and others involved with the breeding programme regularly share updates on the breeding females’ scorecards (go Pearl!).

Kākāpō breeding is a notoriously tricky business and relies heavily on seasonal conditions – and the small gene pool of the recovering population of the flightless parrots.

Recent innovations have seen success for the Department of Conservation’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme, which has worked with Meridian and Ngāi Tahu to develop technological solutions to the many problems faced by the birds.

Nora, a life under the microscope

Nora’s recent efforts are the latest in a four-decade breeding history that goes back to 1981.

DoC shared her life story in 2020, revealing just how integral she has been to the ongoing survival of her species.

She was found on Rakiura in July 1980, just three months after the first female kākāpō was found on the island.

Named by American biologist Margaret Shepard, Nora became the first kākāpō to be seen nesting in likely over 100 years when she laid eggs in 1981.

She successfully raised two chicks that year: Adler and Zephyr.

Sadly, Adler disappeared shortly after fledging but Zephyr went on to become a kākāpō mum herself.

It was likely Rangi who fathered those chicks but he moved on and Lionel entered the picture.

Poor Lionel had “the worst sperm deformities ever seen in a kākāpō” and their union did not produce any chicks, leaving Nora to be a fantastic foster mum instead.

She had shifted to predator-free Whenua Hou island and was able to enjoy family life without predation from pest animals.

Her luck changed in 2016 when she hooked up with the dashing Blades, who fathered Kōtiu and Matangi.

After Blades came Tūtoko, then Sinbad.

And she’s still not done yet.

Go Nora!