New Zealand Kea (Nationally Endangered)

Distribution The kea is Earth's only alpine parrot and is generally found 600 to 2000m, in the South Island from Nelson to Fiordland. Their numbers have reduce to a few thousand. The kea tends to spend winter at lower altitudes and then move up their alpine range in Spring to Autumn feeding on seasonal berries and so forth. It is believed that kea once inhabited the Chatham Islands and the North Island.

Diet The kea eat berries and nectar of rata, flax, coprosma and totara. Also insects, buds and windscreen wipers. According to Morris & Ballance (2008) southern beech seed is an important food source, and in mast years (prolific seed production) provides an abundance of food.

Breeding Breeding age of the kea is usually 3 years, and breeding occurs from July through to January. Nest sites are usually on the ground, in a crack or hole of a tree's root system. The nest chamber is usually lined with moss, lichens, and leaves, and 2-4 eggs are incubated by the female for around a month. The young kea stay in the nest for between 2 1/2 to 3 months.

General The kea is about the size of a sulphur crested cockatoo, up to 50cm. There's not much difference visually between the male and female except the male generally has a more curved beak. The young kea has a pale yellow lower mandible and cere. They are related to the kaka.

The kea is a bird of immense character, mischievous, bold, curious and generally friendly. They're also rated as one of the most intelligent birds anywhere, and individuals learn to solve problems, usually to do with food they should not be getting. See the video on the main bird page of a kea solving problems. The kea is an excellent flyer - but hops sideways on the ground comically. They express little fear and are notorious for making themselves at home in alpine lodges and cafes where they try their luck for cup cakes and pies. Once inside the they can be hard to remove if determined to stay put. The kea is endemic to New Zealand.

Photos Generously provided by Steve Reekie © (original files may have been cropped).