New Zealand Kea – Nestor notabilis

Kea | Steve Reekie Photography

New Zealand Kea - Nestor notabilis

Kea | Steve Reekie

The kea (/ˈkiː.ə/; Māori: [kɛ.a]; Nestor notabilis) is a large species of parrot of the family Strigopidae found in forested and alpine regions of the South Island of New Zealand. About 48 cm (19 in) long. It is mostly olive-green with a brilliant orange under its wings and has a large, narrow, curved, grey-brown upper beak. The kea is the world’s only alpine parrot. Its omnivorous diet includes carrion, but consists mainly of roots, leaves, berries, nectar, and insects. Now uncommon, the kea was once killed for bounty due to concerns by the sheep-farming community that it attacked livestock, especially sheep. It received full protection in 1986. 


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