earth science

Kākāriki

Kākāriki is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Kākāriki rather than just read about it. In short: The three species of kākāriki (also spelled kaakaariki, without macrons), or New Zealand parakeets, are the most common species of parakeets in the genus Cyanoramphus, family Psittaculidae. The most commonly used name kākāriki is Māori in origin meaning "small parrot" (from kākā ‘parrot’ and riki ‘small’); it has also been used to refer to the colour green because of the birds' predominantly green plumage.

Key takeaways

Kākāriki belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Kākāriki to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Kākāriki from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The three species of kākāriki (also spelled kaakaariki, without macrons), or New Zealand parakeets, are the most common species of parakeets in the genus Cyanoramphus, family Psittaculidae. The most commonly used name kākāriki is Māori in origin meaning "small parrot" (from kākā ‘parrot’ and riki ‘small’); it has also been used to refer to the colour green because of the birds' predominantly green plumage. The patches of red on the birds' rumps are, according to legend, the blood of the demigod Tāwhaki. The three species on mainland New Zealand are the yellow-crowned parakeet (Cyanoramphus auriceps), the red-crowned parakeet, or red-fronted parakeet (C. novaezelandiae), and the critically endangered Malherbe's parakeet or orange-fronted parakeet (C. malherbi – not to be confused with Eupsittula canicularis, a popular aviary bird known as the orange-fronted conure, orange-fronted parakeet, or half-moon conure).

Habitat All above species are endemic to New Zealand, and have become endangered as a result of habitat destruction following human settlement and nest predation by introduced mammals. Scarce on the mainland, kākāriki have survived well on outlying islands. They are easy to breed, but as with all protected native species in New Zealand, a license from the Department of Conservation is required to keep them in captivity—though they, along with lizards, are the only protected native species for which a license allows them to be kept privately (neither for public display and advocacy nor for breed and release for conservation purposes). Mitochondrial DNA analysis has indicated that the orange-fronted parakeet is a separate species and not just a colour variation of the yellow-crowned parakeet. The orange-fronted parakeet is highly endangered, with less than 200 individuals remaining in the North Canterbury region of the South Island. Furthermore, Chatham Island's yellow-crowned parakeet and the red-crowned populations of New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, and the subantarctic islands have been determined to be distinct species. The identification and detection of sex are very important for the protection of kākāriki. Understanding the sex ratios within populations helps in managing breeding programs and maintaining balanced demographics in captivity, contributing to the preservation of this species. Accurate sex testing plays a pivotal role in effective population management and conservation strategies for kākāriki.

References

Further reading Scofield, R. Paul (2005): The supposed Macquarie Island parakeet in the collection of Canterbury Museum. Notornis 52(2): 117–120. PDF fulltext (subscription required) Phipps, Graeme (2006): The Kakarikis. The Macleay Museum, The University of Sydney, 2006 Australia PDF fulltext

External links

NZBirds.com – Kakariki Kakariki.net; A Popular and useful resource with forums on kakariki husbandry, breeding and conservation

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Kākāriki

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Kākāriki claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Kākāriki before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Kākāriki ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Kākāriki

In research: Kākāriki appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Kākāriki in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Kākāriki is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Bird common names, Birds of New Zealand, Cyanoramphus, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Kākāriki outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Kākāriki in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Kākāriki means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Kākāriki out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kākāriki in simple terms?

Why does Kākāriki matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Kākāriki?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Kākāriki.