Kea

Appearance

The Kea is a large parrot about 48 cm long and weighing 0.8–1 kg. It has mostly olive-green plumage with a grey beak having a long, narrow, curved upper beak. The adult has dark-brown irises, and the cere, eyerings, and legs are grey. It has orange feathers on the undersides of its wings. The feathers on the sides of its face are dark olive-brown, feathers on its back and rump are orange-red, and some of the outer wing wing are dull-blue. It has a short, broad, bluish-green tail with a black tip. Feather shafts project at the tip of the tail and the undersides of the inner tail feathers have yellow-orange transverse stripes. The male is about 5% longer than the female, and the male's upper beak is 12–14% longer than the female's. Juveniles generally resemble adults, but have yellow eyerings and cere, an orange-yellow lower beak, and grey-yellow legs.

Naming

The Kea was described by ornithologist John Gould in 1856. Its specific epithet, the Latin term ''notabilis'', means "noteworthy". The common name is from Māori, probably representing the screech of the bird. The term "Kea" is both singular and plural.

A gathering or group of Kea is called a circus.

Distribution

The Kea is one of ten endemic parrot species in New Zealand.

The Kea ranges from lowland river valleys and coastal forests of the westcoast up to the alpine regions of the South Island such as Arthur's Pass and Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, closely associated throughout its range with the southern beech forests in the alpine ridge. Apart from occasional vagrants, Kea are not found in the North Island, although fossil evidence suggests a population lived there over 10,000 years ago.

Status

The population was estimated at between 1,000 and 5,000 individuals in 1986, contrasting with another estimate of 15,000 birds in 1992. Both estimates depend heavily upon the assumptions made. The Kea's widespread distribution at low density across inaccessible areas prevents accurate estimates.

Reproduction

At least one observer has reported that the Kea is polygynous, with one male attached to multiple females. The same source also noted that there was a surplus of females.

Kea are social and live in groups of up to 13 birds. Isolated individuals do badly in captivity, but respond well to mirror images.

In one study, nest sites occur at a density of one per 4.4 km². The breeding areas are most commonly in southern beech forests, located on steep mountainsides. Breeding at heights of 1600 m above sea level and higher, it is one of the few parrot species in the world to regularly spend time above the tree line. Nest sites are usually positioned on the ground underneath large beech trees, in rock crevices, or dug burrows between roots. They are accessed by tunnels leading back 1 to 6 m into a larger chamber, which is furnished with lichens, moss, ferns, and rotting wood. The laying period starts in July and reaches into January. Two to five white eggs are laid, with an incubation time of around 21 days, and a brooding period of 94 days.

Food

An omnivore, the Kea feeds on more than 40 plant species, beetle larva, other birds, and mammals. It has been observed breaking open shearwater nests to feed on the chicks after hearing the chicks in their nests. The Kea has also taken advantage of human garbage and "gifts" of food. In captivity, the bird is fond of butter, nuts, apples, carrots, grapes, mangoes, figs, bread, dairy products, ground meat, and pasta.