 Before 1977 , no expedition had been to Stewart Island / Rakiura to search for the bird . In 1977 , sightings of kakapo were reported on Stewart Island . An expedition to the island found a track and bowl system on its first day ; soon after , it located several dozen kakapo . The finding in an 8 @,@ 000 @-@ hectare area of fire @-@ modified <unk> and forest raised hope that the population would include females . The total population was estimated at 100 to 200 birds . 
