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Kea  

Also Known As: Mountain Parrot
 
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Kea Parrot on mountain slope

Credit: (c) Pot of Grass Productions | License: ShutterStock
 
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Did You Know?
Keas are so cheeky and curious about their surroundings that they will explore any new item that comes into their vicinity. They have been known to strip pieces off of cars in carparks, and dismantle tents in campgrounds!

Species Profile
Genus:
Nestor

Species:
notabilis

Size: Adult Weight:
48cm (18.7 in) 900-1000g (31.5-35 oz)

Races including nominate:
one

Colourization Adult: Male-large, olive/green parrot with obvious orange under its wings; lores and ear coverts dark olive/brown; orange/red back and rump; outer webs of primary feathers dull blue; undersides of primary feathers barred orange/yellow; dull blue/green tail, striped black just before tip with orange/yellow bars on inner webs of outside feathers. Bill grey/brown and sharply projecting with elongated upper mandible. Eye dark brown, eye ring grey. Female: bill shorter, with less decurved upper mandible.

Colourization Juvenile: As in adult but cere and eye ring yellow instead of grey; base of lower mandible orange/yellow.

Call: Calls while in flight, distinctive, prolonged keeee-ahh on descending scale. Also softer, babbling notes.

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Recent Academic Research: Google Scholar - search results

 

Content Sources:

Animal Diversity Web http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Nestor_notabilis.html

CITES http://www.cites.org/eng/resources/species.html

BirdLife International http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=1410&m=0

Internet Bird Collection http://www.hbw.com/ibc/

Kiwi Wildlife Tours

Parrots: A Guide to Parrots of the World, Juniper and Parr, 1998.

Parrots of the World, Forshaw and Cooper, 1989.

Parrots of the World, Forshaw, 2006.

Parrots in Aviculture, Low, 1992.