Kea

The kea (ˈkiːə ; kɛ.a; Nestor notabilis) is a species of large parrot in the family Nestoridae found in the forested and alpine regions of the South Island of New Zealand. About long, it is mostly olive-green with a brilliant orange under its wings and has a large, narrow, curved, grey-brown upper beak. 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. In 1986, it received absolute protection under the Wildlife Act. The kea nests in burrows or crevices among the roots of trees. Kea are known for their intelligence and curiosity, both vital to their survival in a harsh mountain environment. Kea can solve logical puzzles, such as pushing and pulling things in a certain order to get to food, and will work together to achieve a certain objective. They have been filmed preparing and using tools. The kea was described by ornithologist John Gould in 1856, from two specimens shown to him by Walter Mantell. Some elderly Māori had told Mantell about the bird around eight years previously and how it used to visit the coast in winter but had not been seen in recent times. Mantell investigated and obtained the birds in Murihiku. Its specific epithet, the Latin term notabilis, means "noteworthy". The common name kea is from Māori, probably an onomatopoeic representation of their in-flight call – 'keee aaa'. The word "kea" is both singular and plural. The genus Nestor contains four species: the New Zealand kaka (Nestor meridionalis), the kea (N. notabilis), the extinct Norfolk kaka (N. productus), and the extinct Chatham kaka (N. chathamensis). All four are thought to stem from a "proto-kākā", dwelling in the forests of New Zealand five million years ago. Their closest relative is the flightless kakapo (Strigops habroptilus). Together, they form the parrot superfamily Strigopoidea, an ancient group that split off from all other Psittacidae before their radiation.