North Island chicks fledge at four to five weeks while the South Island chicks take two weeks longer. The fledglings then spend another week with their parents before becoming fully independent. The most serious threat to the kereru comes from predators. Recent studies in several parts of the country have found that many nests produce no chicks at all, and even in the most successful areas only 10 chicks fledged out of 45 nesting attempts. Rats, stoats, and possums eat their eggs and young.
Possums also compete with adult birds for food and devastate trees by consuming new shoots.
Stoats and cats will attack and kill adult kereru. Forest clearance and poaching are also threats to its survival. Research by the Department of Conservation, Landcare Research, universities and other groups has found that the species is unlikely to cope with hunting pressure. Helping the kereru The Department of Conservation is involved in educating the public about the plight of the native pigeon and encouraging local initiatives to save it. In Northland, the department has been working with local iwi in an attempt to curb illegal poaching of the kukupa by educating young Maori about the disastrous effect this activity is having on the birds' survival rate.