A key part of the Recovery Plan is the supplementary feeding of females . The kakapo breed only once every two to five years , when a certain type of plant species , primarily Dacrydium cupressinum ( rimu ) , produce protein @-@ rich fruit and seeds . Observations of the relationship between intermittent breeding and the plant 's mast year help biologists choose which suitable supplementary foods to increase kakapo breeding frequency . In 1989 , six preferred foods ( apples , sweet potatoes , almonds , Brazil nuts , sunflower seeds and walnuts ) was supplied ad libitum each night to 12 feeding stations . Males and females ate the supplied foods , and females nested on Little Barrier Island in the summers of 1989 – 91 for the first time since 1982 , although nesting success was low .