all green, all Antipodes, all alone

Size
Length: 30–32 cm, Weight: 120–150 g
Lifespan
10–15 years
Diet
Omnivorous. Feeds on leaves, seeds, fruit, flowers, insects, and carrion. An opportunistic feeder that also scavenges on dead seabirds. One of the few parrots in the world that eats meat, a behavioural adaptation to the harsh subantarctic environment.
Habitat
Coastal grasslands, scrub, and forests on the Antipodes Islands. Also found on rocky shores and within seabird colonies where it scavenges on carcasses. The dense vegetation provides cover from the harsh subantarctic weather.
Range
Antipodes Islands in the subantarctic. Does not occur on the New Zealand mainland. This restricted range makes the species highly vulnerable to any environmental change or introduced threat on the islands.
Endemism
Endemic
Main Threats
Predation by introduced mice is a significant threat. Mice eat eggs and chicks. Climate change affecting subantarctic habitats and food availability. No significant human impact due to the remote location, but accidental introduction of rats or other predators would be catastrophic.
Population
Populations are considered stable on the remote Antipodes Islands. The species is listed as Nationally Vulnerable and Vulnerable. Mouse eradication is being considered to protect the species, as mice have been observed attacking nests and eating eggs and chicks alive.
Conservation Status
Nationally Vulnerable
The subantarctic is not kind. The wind never stops. The rain falls sideways. The only trees are stunted by the salt and the cold. And yet, a bright green parrot lives here. It looks like it took a wrong turn. The Antipodes parakeet has a crimson forehead and crown. Blue wing edges mark its flight. A pale yellow-green belly completes the look. It looks tropical. It is not. It is exactly where it wants to be. The adaptation is complete. The isolation is total. This parrot does not eat fruit and nectar like its tropical cousins. It eats meat. Not often. Not with any great enthusiasm. But when the opportunity presents itself, it will take it. Seabird chicks. Carrion. The eggs of nesting petrels. The Antipodes parakeet is an opportunist. In the subantarctic, opportunity looks different. Food is scarce. The parakeet survives by eating whatever it can find. Seeds, leaves, buds, and insects form the base. When the seabirds are nesting, eggs and chicks are added. This is not a choice. It is necessity. Evolution does not do morality. The bird is one of the few parrots in the world that has learned to supplement its diet with animal protein. It does not hunt. It scavenges. It takes advantage of the dead and the dying. The seabird colonies on the islands provide a seasonal bounty. The parakeet knows exactly when to arrive. The timing is precise. The instinct is sharp. The islands are pest-free, for now. Rats have not reached them. Stoats have not swum across the cold sea. The parakeet still nests in burrows and rock crevices. It raises its young without fear of ground predators. That will not last. The rats are coming. They always are. The threat is external. The vulnerability is inherent. The Antipodes parakeet is not threatened yet. But it is vulnerable. A single shipwreck could change everything. A single careless visitor could overrun the island. The bird would not stand a chance. It evolved for the wind and the cold and the scarcity. It did not evolve for rats. The mismatch is fatal. To see one is to see a paradox. A bright green parrot sits in a grey landscape. A herbivore sometimes eats meat. A bird that should be tropical lives on the edge of the Antarctic. It should not work. But it does. For now. The existence is precarious. The beauty is stark. It carries on.