The Kea is a cheeky New Zealand native bird. This special bird is the only alpine parrot in the world and it lives only in NZ (it’s endemic to NZ).
New Zealand is an amazing country full of breathtaking landscapes and unique birds. Some of the unique birds, such as the Tui or Kereru, can be easily seen. Others, like the nocturnal Kiwi, are hardly ever seen. The Kea is not seen as often as the Tui, and fortunately, not as infrequently as the Kiwi. I love seeing Keas in the wild and just watching their antics.
About The Kea
This bird gets its name from its call, which sounds like a long drawn out, “Keeeeee-aaaah, keeee-aaahhhh.’
They are omnivores, willing to eat grubs, roots, leaves, fruit, and basically anything they can find (including human food).
This bird has a lovely olive green coloring on its head and body. When it opens its wings to fly you can see a brilliant orange-red color.
Keas nest in hollows on the ground, where they lay 2-4 white eggs.
These birds used to be very common and abundant, but they were almost hunted to extinction! Read what happened to them here (coming soon to another post).
Where Can You See A Kea?
This bird lives only on the South Island of New Zealand. It can be found in the mountains of the southern alps, but is more abundant on the western side. Keas can be found in high altitude forests and alpine areas.
Personally, I’ve only seen Kea a handful of times. The first time I saw a Kea was at Arthurs Pass. It was right in the village, hanging out around the general store, waiting for scraps of food from the many tourists. We were super excited to see one of these birds finally.
It turns out that these birds are very common around people as they hunt for food and steal stuff from unsuspecting hikers or tourists. They can often be found around huts, stores, car parks, or even lunch tables at ski fields.
Remember, DON’T FEED THEM! They are wild animals!
When we hiked the Kepler Track we saw heaps of Keas. At one point we saw a group of 8 of them hanging around a day shelter and seeing what they could steal from hikers.
Why Are They Called Cheeky?
They are called cheeky because of their custom of slowly creeping up towards backpacks and taking stuff. They’ll take anything that catches their attention, including shoes and cameras.
Many of the huts on the south island have signs up warning to keep an eye on your gear due to Keas stealing it. It’s a good idea to lace your boots together so that Keas can’t steal one. You don’t want to finish your hike with one boot!