Wild Bird Wednesday 241 - Kea

New Zealand is a remarkable place.  Apart from bats its has not native terrestrial mammals.  In the absence of native cats, rats and rabbits, birds have evolved that fill some of the ecological niches left vacant by the absence of mammals.  Another way of looking at this is to consider New Zealand as a possible example of what the worlds ecosystems would have looked like if they had not come to be dominated by mammals after the extinction event that removed dinosaurs.

One of the birds that has filled a 'mammal niche' is the Kea (Nestor notabilis).  This is a large parrot - about 50cm long - with mostly green feathers, although it shows orange under its wings and tail.

This bird has a surprisingly large curved beak which it uses to find food.  Its food includes roots, berries and insects, but it will also take carrion and has been recently filmed feeding on the 'back fat' of sheep.  Like many parrots the Kea is intelligent and inquisitive.  These traits have led it to gain a bit of a reputation as a vandal, as they tend to explore new materials and objects in there environment.  Unfortunately, this includes parked car where they seem to have bit of a fondness for the rubber seals around car doors and windscreens.  

The Kea is the worlds only Alpine parrot and the one in these pictures visited us as we were have a cup of coffee at Arthurs Pass in South Island.  This individual was very keen to have a look - and maybe a feed - inside my bag and camera case!  Given that it can't be all that easy to find food in the high mountains, this 'searching' behaviour of new and novel materials is certainly adaptive.  It's also rather entertaining!

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