When I was 10 years old I watched a mob of kea meticulously dismantle my grandmother’s windscreen wipers.

Ever since I have had an incredible fascination with this mountain parrot.  “How can these birds not fear humans?” I wondered, “Let alone something the size of a car!”

That day I made it a life goal to work with kea in some way.

To get some background knowledge of animals and their natural environment I studied zoology at university.  I then began volunteer work through the Kea Conservation Trust.  Not only did I get to work with this animal that had captivated my interest, but I was also taken to some of the most beautiful places in New Zealand:  Mt Aspiring National Park, Mt Cook National Park and Lake Rotoiti in the Nelson Lakes.

Even the accommodation was interesting:  a mountaineer’s hut, a farmer’s storage shed, a tent perched on the edge of a cliff – and sometimes simply under the stars. During my time volunteering I helped on many different kea projects:  lead poisoning research, cognitive and behavioural experiments, and the kea population survey.

I combined my interest in kea with another hobby, photography.  And due to my hands-on experience working with kea, I gained a position with the Department of Conservation – another goal of mine.

Kea are endemic to the South Island of New Zealand; they are one of a kind because they are the world’s only alpine parrot and spend a lot of their time above the snow line.

Kea (Nestor notabilis), along with the kaka (Nestor meridionalis) and kakapo (Strigops habroptilus), are thought to together form the only members of a distinct parrot family, Nestoridae. It seems likely that the Nestoridae lineage diverged from that of other parrots some 80 million years ago, perhaps as a result of geographical isolation when the land mass that was to become New Zealand separated from the Gondwanaland supercontinent.

Weighing one kilogram, kea are the second-heaviest parrot in New Zealand - only the 2kg kakapo is heftier (and, of course, can’t fly).  The kea’s olive-green colouring, highlighted with iridescent blues and black, and the striking orange-red flash of the underside of their wings makes them a uniquely beautiful presence in our high country.

The name kea was given by Maori to describe the sound of its call, and kea were considered guardians of the mountains for the Waitaha Maori during their search for pounamu (greenstone).

Kea have a high level of intelligence - they have even been shown to surpass some primate species in cognitive tests, and are considered the world’s most intelligent bird. They use their advanced cognitive ability to learn new foraging techniques and can even adapt to different types of food, but this can also get them into some difficulties – they can be too smart for their own good.

Despite – sometimes even because of – their natural curiosity and intelligence, kea have faced numerous threats to their survival.  A bounty was placed on kea because of high country farmers’ claims that kea attacked sheep for a rich source of fat and protein. This bounty resulted in 150,000 kea being “culled” - and this officially sanctioned killing of this endemic species continued till the late 1970s.

Kea were also susceptible to poisoning from the lead used for nails, drainage and flashings on back-country buildings like alpine huts.  Lead tastes sweet and kea have been observed chewing on lead material.  Lead poisoning inhibits brain development and causes behavioural abnormalities – making kea even bolder, which gets them into even more trouble than usual.

Deforestation also put pressure on kea.  Since the arrival of humans in New Zealand the amount of forested land has been considerably reduced as it was cleared for pasture and therefore reduced ideal habitats for kea.

Although kea spend a lot of time in the mountains they also forage and nest below the tree line.  Kea’s natural habitat extends from South Island beech forests to alpine meadows and mountain scree slopes.  Climate change may pose a further threat through its possible impact on their high-altitude habitats.

Kea’s natural curiosity impacts humans directly in many different ways – especially as we encroach more and more on their natural habitat. This proximity creates conflict:  man-made objects, such as buildings, shiny cars and household refuse, provide kea with endless opportunity to investigate whether each new and exciting thing can be eaten or destroyed!

Kea are predominantly vegetarian opportunistic feeders (although they have also been seen feeding on seabird chicks, insects and lizards) but the variety of foodstuffs introduced into their environment by humans means they will take the opportunity to eat just about anything.  In at least one case, scavenging of chocolate from rubbish bins has killed kea, as chocolate is toxic to kea (and many other animals).

Big groups of kea are often seen flying together and usually consist of juvenile birds – much like gangs of human teenage taggers, these groups of adolescent kea are the ones that tend to cause most damage to human property. Together they are learning to manipulate their environment:  if artificial human property is in their territory it is considered worth investigating. We need to realise that this is the parrots’ natural behaviour – perhaps it is our behaviour, just as much as theirs that makes it a problem.

Today kea numbers are still declining for reasons that are largely unknown and are now being investigated.  Kea are listed as nationally endangered and the total kea population is thought to range between 1000-5000 individuals in the wild - this estimate is so imprecise because there hasn’t been an accurate way to count them in their alpine environment, which can be difficult to access.

However, the Kea Conservation Trust has conducted a survey counting kea above the tree line at sites in the Southern Alps for three consecutive years. After data from the survey has been analysed it is hoped that it will give an accurate estimate of kea numbers throughout the South Island.

I have had experience with many lowland flightless birds and have sometimes wondered why I never chose to focus on a bird that was flightless.  Certainly a less mobile species would be easier to study - kea can ascend 1000 metres in a just few wing beats when you finally reach them after four hours of tracking!  But New Zealand has no other bird with such a charismatic personality and I am thankful to have had so many exciting interactions with kea – and look forward to many more.

How you can help

• Don’t lead-based building materials if you live in an area where there are kea
• Store household items and equipment such as bicycles and tramping gear out of kea’s reach
• Park cars in garages, or use a car cover when you go skiing
• Don’t feed wild kea
• Contact the nearest DOC office if you see an injured kea or someone hurting kea
• Make sure household waste is contained in kea-proof receptacles.
• Help with population monitoring by reporting kea sightings – you can download kea reporting forms at the Kea Conservation Trust’s website: www.keaconservation.co.nz.