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Name || Kea |
Scientific Name || Nestor notabilis |
Conservation Status || Fully protected |
Habitat || High country and mountains of New Zealand's South Island |
Unique Features ||
The kea is named after its loud in-flight cry of "keeaa". A distinctive dark olive green colour, they are bright orange-scarlet under their wings.
Social Behaviour ||
Keas are highly intelligent and naturally inquisitive, and are renowned for their boldness. They can be very destructive, and have been known to wreak havoc inside huts, ski lodges and cars.
Diet ||
Kea eat berries, roots, buds, seeds, insects and worms. They are also opportunistic feeders, and will scavenge on dead animals, birds eggs, and rubbish left by humans.
Reproduction ||
A mature male may have up to four mates and shares responsibility for guarding the eggs and feeding the chicks. Females lay two to four smooth white eggs that take four weeks to hatch. Chicks become fully fledged at around 13 weeks.
Life Cycle ||
Kea reach maturity at three years but in the wild only 37% live beyond their first year. In captivity they can live for more then 50 years.
Relatives ||
The Kea has a closest relative which is the Kaka, another New Zealand parrot.
Interesting Facts :
- There are only 1000 to 5000 Kea left in the wild today but 200 years ago there used to be hundreds of thousands. Then humans arrived with our farm animals like sheep. Keas love to eat the high country tussocks and unfortunately so do sheep. So when the sheep started to eat the entire tussock the Keas found another food source which was the sheep themselves. This was not a common occurrence and Keas would never kill a sheep outright, (usually they pick on animals that are already ill or injured) but pretty soon the Keas had made a bad name for themselves. Open season on Keas was declared and for 130 years there was a bounty on their heads and a price tag on their beaks. It is estimated that New Zealanders killed about 200000 of the worlds most intelligent and unique animals in an effort to protect their beloved sheep. Keas were shot until 1953 and only gained full protection from hunters and farmers in 1986 when the Department of Conservation promised to investigate every incidence of sheep attacks by Keas.
- The fact that Keas can adapt to massive changes in environment and habitat such as the arrival of humans and our assorted introduced animals once again showcases their intelligence and sets them apart from many other island animals.
- Keas are naturally curious creatures and it is this trait that gets them into trouble with humans from time to time and gives them their destructive nametag. They love soft pliable things, like windscreen wipers for example, anything new or novel, will give anything a taste test once and anything yellow is something worth investigating. So you can imagine their delight when hapless humans make a trip to the mountains to go skiing. Keas are very skilled at holding, manipulating, and breaking objects. These behaviours may be an important part of how Keas investigate their environment.
Breeding Programme ||
The Department of Conservation bans breeding as there are currently too many captive kea and many of them are related.
Environmental Conditions ||
Kea live in the Southern Alps of New Zealand and can withstand extreme cold conditions.
At Wellington Zoo ||
We have one male and two female kea, who have been at the zoo since 1997.
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