Kea - amazingly smart parrots who love snow and search backpacks of tourists

These incredible parrots living in New Zealand can compete with dolphins and crows in terms of intelligence. In addition, they are inquisitive and fearless: they care about everything that has been left unattended, from a car antenna to a backpack taken on a halt. Incredible legends even go about them, related to the fact that kea hunt sheep. We offer to get to know them better.

Kea parrots are endemic to South Island (New Zealand) and are not found anywhere else on the planet. These are quite large birds, whose weight reaches 1 kilogram. And the voice resembles a long “ke-a," for which they got their name.

Kea is interesting in that it is the only representative of the parrot family that nests high in the mountains. This species feels comfortable at an altitude of 1,500 meters, and the abundance of snow does not bother kea at all. They happily take snow baths and frolic in ice streams. Kea has a rather diverse diet: they feed on the fruits of plants and small animals. These birds have also been seen attacking sheep. A group of scientists managed to film how kea attacked a flock of sheep and pecked animals. The motives for this behavior are not fully understood.

The breeding season of these parrots is very long and lasts from July to January of the next year. Kea manifest themselves as very caring parents who build reliable nests for future offspring high in the mountains, in the midst of rock crevices. While the female hatches the chicks, the male completely takes care of her food. Even after the parrots are born, the mother does not leave them for about 2 months, and the male continues to feed now not only the female, but also the chicks, which usually happen from two to four in the brood.

Kea - these are incredibly curious birds, which, due to their habit of climbing where not to be, earned a not very good reputation among New Zealanders. A lively mind, dexterous paws and beak became the reason that kea can open any trash can, separate "unnecessary" car parts or check the contents of a picnic basket. But tourists love these parrots: persistent and curious kea often fall into the lens of travelers.

Perhaps they are smarter and stronger than a raven, and their fearlessness knows no bounds. People of courageous parrots do not bother at all. For example, take a look at the fun of kea at one of the New Zealand ski resorts.