Kea

About the Kea

The Kea is a very special parrot. It is one of only a few alpine parrot species in the world and it eats carrion in a diet that otherwise consists of mostly roots, berries and insects. It is native to the South Island of New Zealand, where it is a protected species. These large parrots are famous for their intelligence and curiosity, which they both need to survive in the harsh mountain environment.

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Details & Statistics

Added to Birdorable
Hatched on 06 October 2009
Scientific Name
Nestor notabilis
  • Psittaciformes
  • Nestoridae
  • Nestor
  • N. notabilis
Birdorable Family
Conservation Status
Vulnerable (as of 20 March 2020)
VU
  • Least Concern (LC)
  • Near Threatened (NT)
  • Vulnerable (VU)
  • Endangered (EN)
  • Critically Endangered (CR)
  • Extinct in the Wild (EW)
  • Extinct (EX)
Source: IUCN Red List
Measurements
Units: Imperial / Metric
19.5 inches
28 to 32 ounces

Conservation

From IUCN Red List:
The Kea is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and was last assessed in 2012 by BirdLife International. This charismatic species is believed to be declining because of predation by, and competition with, various introduced mammals. It is widely acknowledged that it is very hard to accurately estimate its population size; however, the estimates available generally indicate that the population could be small. For these reasons it is listed as Vulnerable. Now that a monitoring method has been devised, it is hoped that current trend and population estimates can be improved upon.

International Names

Czech (Cesky) Nestor Kea
Danish (Dansk) Kea
Dutch (Nederlands) Kea
French (Français) Nestor Kéa
German (Deutsch) Kea
Italian (Italiano) Kea
Japanese (日本語) ミヤマオウム (Miyamaoomu)
Norwegian (Norsk) Kea
Polish (Polski) Nestor Kea
Russian (русский язык) Kea
Spanish (Español) Kea
Swedish (Svenska) Kea
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