Page 69 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #11
P. 69
The kea is the world’s
only alpine parrot and
was crowned New
Zealand’s Bird of the
Year for 2017.
Mountainclown
With its intelligence and ind buffeted camera lens. Laughing, I managed to
the ridge rescue my camera and rucksack. Later,
almost human sense of from the side, at the Iris Burn Hut, we recounted the
as we inched comical incident to the seasonal park
humour, the kea is a irm across its rangers, Robbie and Jess.
favourite in New Zealand, needlepoint “You can see why these birds are
Wpath. The sun known as mountain clowns,” said Jess.
but its appetite and curiosity had finally burned through morning “They often appear on that section of
thunder clouds to reveal dazzling lakes the track. They didn’t nick any of your
can lead it into trouble. and mountains. It was then, at this stuff, did they?” I shook my head.
dramatic section of the Kepler Track on “Oh good – kea are very intelligent.
By Kirsten Amor the South Island of New Zealand, that Some studies compare the average
the kea first appeared. intelligence of a kea to that of a four-
Soaring through the sky, a large, year-old child.” And, as with human Marcin Dobas/National Ge
luminous-green parrot with orange youngsters, a sense of mischief can
trim around its wings landed only get them in trouble.
a few feet away. Five others arrived “Being so smart means kea get
and, almost immediately, the games bored easily,” Jess continued. “They’re
began. One kea hopped over and began highly inquisitive, and people are
tugging at my shoelaces; another normally all too willing to give them C
ll
started scratching the waterproof cover stuff to play with. We know some kea c
of my rucksack with its beak; another around here have even worked out n/Alamy
two tried to push the cover off my how to open zips.” Robbie joined in.
