Leonardo DiCaprio is known for being a Hollywood hearthrob – but now he's been won over by a native Aotearoa bird. 

The keen environmentalist took to Twitter to express news from the Department of Conservation about the hatching of 18 kakī chicks. He shared an adorable picture of the birds with his 19.4 million followers. 

"The @docgovtnz reports that 18 Kakī chicks hatched as part of their conservation breeding program between December 24 and December 28," the Hollywood actor wrote. 

"This is an unusually high number and a boon for the world's rarest wading bird." 

According to DOC, the Black stilt/kakī is a native wading bird only found in New Zealand. The bird has a population of Just 170 wild adult birds. 

"It is regarded as a taonga species – a living treasure." 

The bird's main threats are predators like feral cats and ferrets, habitat loss and human disturbance. 

DOC adds: "Conservation efforts to date have succeeded in averting extinction and increasing kakī numbers." 

DiCaprio established his foundation in 1998 "with the mission of protecting the world's last wild places". 

As part of the foundation's efforts, the star uses his social media following to inspire the public to take action on key environmental issues. 

DiCaprio's latest big role is in Adam McKay's Netflix movie Don't Look Up, which also stars Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence and Jonah Hill.