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© Sedgwick County Zoo, credit: Brent Ward

Kea

Nestor notabilis

Physical Characteristics

  • These parrots have dark olive plumage. The undersides of the wings are reddish-maroon and the underside of the tail has a yellowish band. The brownish bill is narrow with a long curved mandible (upper part of bill). The legs are dark gray to dark brown.
  • Size of average adult
    • length: 19 inches

Diet

  • Wild: seeds, herbs, rootlets, insects and larvae

Behavior

  • Famous for curiosity; everything new in their environment is examined without fear
  • Especially fond of rubber parts from cars
  • Spend time playing with twigs and stones alone and in groups
  • Have been known to kill sheep
  • Have been known to steal keys from keepers and play dead
  • Reproduction
    • breeding season: July to January
    • clutch: 2 - 4 eggs
    • incubation: 3 - 4 weeks
    • young fledge after 13 weeks

Environmental/Global

  • Habitat: high mountain areas with heavy rainfall, alpine forests to mountain scrub lands
  • Distribution: southern mainland of New Zealand
  • Numbers: estimated to be less than 10,000
    • killed by farmers to "control" them from killing sheep
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