KEA’S
Gliding, swooping, diving - flying

The kea is a magnificent bird of the parrot family, it is an alpine parrot.
Its large, brown body and green wings help it to fly.

Its beak is curved downwards to help it peel rubber off cars and boots. The beak also helps it to peel the skin off some fruits like berries and grapes. The kea eats many things including roots, leaves, berries, nectar, insects and of course water.

The keas live in groups of thirteen and normally live to fifteen years. When keas breed they lay two–to-four eggs in a tree hollow covered with moss.

The kea is a cheeky bird that’s why it’s referred to as the clown of the mountains because keas live in the south island on mountains, in bushes with all the millions of other wildlife.

The kea is a very intelligent bird it can solve very difficult puzzles. It will push and pull things until it gets what it wants. It also a very curious creature and that is often what gets it into trouble.

The kea is among the millions of other birds that have become very few of due to the fact of dogs eating them, possums injuring them and even humans because people hunt them.

It’s such a pity that people hunt the keas. It is also very sad to see them in wildlife parks, and stuffed ones hanging on the wall in people’s houses. It would be so much better to see them flying around the mountains! Wouldn’t it???

By Nicole