Kea
Australia, New Zealand, Oceania
Description
- Scientific name is nestor notabilis.
- Keas have olive green and black primaries, and bright mesmerizing orange, red, black, and yellow underwings. Rare yellow and albino keas have been spotted too.
- They communicate with a cute, distinctive "kee-ah".
- Keas weigh 1kg, with a 5 1/2 cm height.
- The oldest kea recorded was 50 years old.
Food Chain
- Keas feed on roots, seeds, flowers, other birds' chicks, insects, lizards, and mountain flax.
- They hunt in meadows, forests and rocky mountains.
- Keas tend to be omnivores, eating seeds, etc.. insects and lizards.
- Keas may attack live sheep when desperate. (KCT)
Habitat
- Keas live in New Zealand, around the Southern Alps.
- Typically in south island beech forests, alpine meadows and mountains.
- They can live in harsh climates, variable temperature.
- Keas usually build nests in mountains or meadows. (KCT)
Adaptation
- Keas strike to the side with their feet as an attack. (KBP)
- Keas olive green and black feathers help them blend into the background. (KNN)
- They've adapted to eat almost anything, and can live at refuse dumps and ski fields. (NN)
- Keas are intelligent, and may attack live sheep when desperate for food. (KCT)
- They may also take Huttons Shearwater chicks for food. (KNN)
Critical Info
- 150,000 Keas were shot in a bounty scheme due to attacking sheep as a source of fat.
- Keas are prey to stoats, cats, and brush-tailed possums.
- Threats include deforestaion, lead toxicity, global warming, infectous diseases and limited food source.
- Keas are protected by law in New Zealand. (KNN)
- 1080 bombs are used to treat rats and possums which are harmful to Keas' chicks. (KCT)
Kea conversation