Kea

The World's Only Alpine Parrot — Brilliant, Curious, and Persecuted

The kea is a large parrot endemic to the South Island of New Zealand and the only true alpine parrot in the world, living in the mountains above the treeline. Famous for extraordinary intelligence and curiosity — keas solve multi-step puzzles, use tools, and are notorious for dismantling car windscreen wipers and backpacks at mountain car parks — the species is also, tragically, a conservation concern. The IUCN lists Nestor notabilis as Endangered, with a wild population estimated at only 3,000–7,000 individuals [BirdLife International 2017]. The kea's decline stems from a combination of historical bounty killing, introduced predators, and ongoing human-caused mortality.

Biology and identification

Nestor notabilis is a large parrot — approximately 48 cm long and 800–1,000 g [Diamond & Bond 1999]. The plumage is olive-green, which camouflages the bird against alpine vegetation, with brilliant orange-red underwings and rump revealed in flight. The strongly down-curved upper mandible is notably long, adapted for digging and manipulating.

The kea is renowned for its cognition. Research has documented keas solving complex physical puzzles, understanding cause-and-effect, working cooperatively, using tools, and showing behaviour interpreted as play and even a "warbling" vocalisation associated with positive emotional contagion [Auersperg et al. 2011; Schwing et al. 2017]. Their intelligence and neophilia (attraction to novelty) drive the destructive curiosity that brings them into conflict with humans — keas investigate and dismantle vehicles, equipment, and buildings.

Keas are generalist omnivores, eating plant material, insects, nectar, and carrion — and, controversially, occasionally attacking sheep (pecking at fat around the kidneys of living sheep), a behaviour that triggered a century of bounty-driven persecution. They are slow-reproducing for a parrot, nesting in ground burrows among rocks (which exposes eggs and chicks to introduced predators) and not breeding until 3+ years old.

Habitat and range

Endemic to the South Island of New Zealand, in and around the Southern Alps — alpine and subalpine zones, high-altitude forest, and scrubland, typically above 600 m and ranging well above the treeline [Diamond & Bond 1999]. Keas range widely across the alpine landscape and congregate opportunistically at sites of human activity (ski fields, mountain huts, car parks) where food and novel objects are available.

The alpine habitat itself is relatively intact (much of it within national parks and conservation land), so unlike many endangered species the kea's primary problem is not habitat loss but direct and indirect mortality.

Conservation status

The kea is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List [BirdLife International 2017] and as Nationally Endangered under the New Zealand Threat Classification System. It is fully protected under New Zealand law (protection granted in 1986, after a century during which a government bounty was paid for killed keas). CITES Appendix II.

The population estimate of 3,000–7,000 is strikingly low for a bird whose habitat is largely intact and protected — underscoring that the threats are mortality-based rather than habitat-based.

Threats

Introduced mammalian predators are a leading threat to nesting success. Keas nest in ground burrows among rocks, leaving eggs and chicks highly vulnerable to introduced stoats, possums, and feral cats. Nest-monitoring studies have documented very high rates of nest predation in unmanaged areas [Kemp et al. 2018]. This is the same introduced-predator problem that affects the kākāpō and most New Zealand native birds.

Lead poisoning — an insidious, human-caused threat. Keas' curiosity leads them to chew on lead flashing, nails, and other lead-containing building materials on mountain huts and structures. Ingested lead causes neurological damage and death; lead poisoning has been documented as a significant mortality source, and blood-lead studies show a large fraction of tested keas carry elevated lead levels [Reid et al. 2012].

Historical bounty killing — from the late 19th century until 1970, the New Zealand government paid a bounty for killed keas (in response to the sheep-attacking behaviour); an estimated 150,000+ keas were killed over the bounty period, decimating the population. The bounty ended in 1970 and full protection came in 1986, but the population never fully recovered.

Human-caused mortality and conflict — keas are still occasionally killed (illegally) over the sheep-attack issue or as "pests" at human sites; vehicle strikes and human-food dependence (which causes malnutrition and conflict) add mortality.

1080 predator-control operations — aerial 1080 poison baiting (used to control stoats and possums for the benefit of native wildlife) can incidentally poison curious keas that consume baits. This creates a genuine conservation tension: 1080 protects keas by killing their nest predators but can also kill keas directly. Research into bait deterrents and operational timing aims to minimise kea bycatch [Kemp et al. 2018].

What is being done

• The Kea Conservation Trust — the principal NGO, coordinating kea research, nest monitoring, lead-removal from buildings, conflict mitigation, and public education.
• New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC) — manages the alpine conservation land, predator control, and the kea recovery framework.
• Predator control — stoat and possum control (including targeted trapping and managed 1080 operations) to improve nesting success, with ongoing research to reduce incidental kea poisoning.
• Lead-removal programs — replacing lead flashing and lead-headed nails on mountain huts and buildings in kea habitat, a direct intervention against a documented mortality source.
• Human-conflict mitigation — public education ("Don't feed the keas"), kea-proofing of equipment and structures, and managing the human-food dependence that causes conflict and malnutrition.
• Research — leveraging the kea's renowned intelligence in cognition studies that also build public engagement and conservation support.

How readers can help

• Support the Kea Conservation Trust. It is the dedicated organization for kea research, nest protection, lead-removal, and conflict mitigation.
• For New Zealand travellers in kea country (the Southern Alps, ski fields, mountain passes like Arthur's Pass and Fiordland): never feed keas (human food causes malnutrition, conflict, and dependence), secure your belongings and vehicle (keas will dismantle wiper blades, rubber seals, and packs), and report sick or lead-poisoned keas to DOC or the Kea Conservation Trust.
• Support predator control in New Zealand. As with the kākāpō, introduced-predator control is foundational to native-bird recovery; supporting DOC's and community predator-control work (and the research to reduce incidental kea poisoning) benefits keas and the whole alpine ecosystem.
• Support lead-removal initiatives. Lead poisoning is a uniquely preventable kea threat; programs replacing lead building materials in kea habitat directly save birds.
• Support Predator Free 2050 — New Zealand's national initiative to eliminate stoats, rats, and possums by 2050 — which would transform the outlook for keas and all NZ native birds.
• Share the kea's cognitive story responsibly. The kea's intelligence makes it a powerful ambassador for conservation, but viral "kea destroys car" content should be paired with the conservation message — these are Endangered birds, not pests.

Last verified: 2026-05-24 Conservation status: Endangered (IUCN Red List 2017 assessment); 3,000–7,000 individuals; the world's only alpine parrot.

References

• Auersperg, A. M. I., von Bayern, A. M. P., Gajdon, G. K., Huber, L., & Kacelnik, A. (2011). Flexibility in problem solving and tool use of kea and New Caledonian crows in a multi access box paradigm. PLoS One 6(6): e20231.
• BirdLife International (2017). Nestor notabilis. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. e.T22684831A119243358.
• Diamond, J., & Bond, A. B. (1999). Kea, Bird of Paradox: The Evolution and Behavior of a New Zealand Parrot. University of California Press.
• Kemp, J. R., Mosen, C. C., Elliott, G. P., & Hunter, C. M. (2018). Effects of the aerial application of 1080 to control pest mammals on kea reproductive success. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 42(2): 158–168.
• Reid, C., McInnes, K., McLelland, J. M., & Gartrell, B. D. (2012). Anthropogenic lead exposure in kea (Nestor notabilis). New Zealand Veterinary Journal 60(3): 181–185.
• Schwing, R., Nelson, X. J., Wein, A., & Parsons, S. (2017). Positive emotional contagion in a New Zealand parrot. Current Biology 27(6): R213–R214.