Kea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Kea (disambiguation).
| iKea | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image:Kea3.jpg | ||||||||||||||
| | ||||||||||||||
|
</div> | ||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| | ||||||||||||||
| Nestor notabilis Gould, 1856 |
Contents |
[edit] General
The Kea (Nestor notabilis) is one of the five parrot species endemic to New Zealand (Along with: Kaka (Nestor meridionalis), Kakapo (Strigops habroptilus), Kakariki (Cyanoramphus auriceps) and Antipodes Island Parakeet (Cyanoramphus unicolor)). The omnivorous crow-sized birds (46 cm length, 700-1000g weight) have olive green plumage with dark-edged feathers, scarlet underwings with yellow stripes, grey legs. The ceres, bill and eyes are dark grey. Juvenile birds (age 0-3) have yellow ceres, eye-rings and beak parts. Fledglings also have a lighter-coloured crown (Robertson & Heather 2001). They are thought to live to an age of 50 years but there is no published data on maximum age.
Their habitat ranges from lowland river valleys up to the alpine regions of the South Island such as Arthur's Pass and Mt. Cook National Park. The breeding areas are most commonly in Southern Beech (Nothofagus sp.) forests, located on steep mountain sides. They are the only parrot species breeding at heights of 1600m above sea level and higher. Their notorious urge to explore and manipulate combined with strong neophilia, makes this bird a pest for residents and an attraction for tourists. Called "clowns of the mountains", they will investigate a backpack or a car that happens to catch their attention.
Population estimates range from 1000 to 5000 individuals (Anderson 1986), but their wide-spread distribution at low density hinders accurate estimates (Diamond & Bond 1999, Elliott & Kemp 1999). More than 150,000 were killed due to the misconception that keas predate upon lifestock (mainly sheep), leading the New Zealand government to pay bounty for kea bills. It is known though, that keas feed on live sheep that have been injured or immobilized. In the 1970s the Kea received partial protection after a census counted only 5000 birds. They were not fully protected until 1986, when farmers gave up their legal right to shoot any Kea that tampered with property or livestock. In exchange, the government agreed to investigate any reports of problem birds and have them removed from the land (Diamond & Bond 1999).
[edit] Biology
[edit] Phylogeny
The genus Nestor contains two species: The Kaka (Nestor meridionalis) and the Kea (Nestor notabilis). It is thought to stem from a Proto-Kaka, dwelling in the forests of New Zealand 15 million years ago (Fleming 1975). The closest relatives are most likely the Kakapos (Strigops habroptilus) (Juniper & Parr 1998). These three are thought to be a sister group to all other parrots (de Kloet & de Kloet 2005).
[edit] Habitat & Nutrition
Keas range along the whole South Island of New Zealand, yet they are closely bound to the southern beech (Nothofagus sp.) forests in the alpine ridge. In one study nest sites occur at a density of 1 per 4.4km2 (Elliott & Kemp 1999). Nest sites are usually positioned on the ground underneath large beech trees, in rock crevices or dug burrows between roots. They are accessed by tunnels leading back 1m to 6m into a larger chamber, which is furnished with lichens, moss, ferns and rotting wood. The laying period starts in January and reaches into July (Jackson 1960). As omnivores, keas are known to feed on more than 40 plant species (Tab. 1), on beetle larva, meat and foods provided by humans(Clark 1970). Keas have also been taking advantage of human garbage and "gifts" (Gajdon et al. 2006). In captivity, these birds are very fond of butter, all forms of nuts, apples, carrots, grapes, mangos, figs, bread, dairy products, ground meat and even pasta.
Tab. 1: List of plants keas have been observed consuming, modified from Clark (1970):
| Food type | Scientific name |
|---|---|
| Fruits: | Astelia nervosa |
| Coprosma pseudopunctata | |
| Coprosma pumila | |
| Coprosma serrulata | |
| Cyathodes colensoi | |
| Cyathodes fraseri | |
| Caultheria depressa | |
| Muehlenbeckia axillaris | |
| Pentachondra pumila | |
| Podocarpus nivalis | |
| Seeds | Aciphylla colensoi |
| Aciphylla ferox | |
| Aciphylla monroi | |
| Astelia nervosa | |
| Hebe ciliolata | |
| Pimelea oreophila | |
| Pittosporum anomalu | |
| Plantago raoulia | |
| Roots | Anisotome pilifera |
| Celmisia coriacea | |
| Gingidium montanum | |
| Notothlaspi australe | |
| Ranunculus insignis | |
| Leafs and buds | Euphrasia zelandica |
| Gentiana bellidifolia | |
| Gentiana spenceri | |
| Gnaphalium traversii | |
| Hebe pauciramosa | |
| Heve vernicosa | |
| Lagenophora petiolata | |
| Nothofagus solandri var cliff. | |
| Flowers | Celimisia coriacea |
| Celimisia discolor var ampla | |
| Celimisia spectabilis var ang. | |
| Cotula pyrethrifolia | |
| Gentiana bellidifolia | |
| Gentiana patula | |
| Gentiana spenceri | |
| Haastia pulvinaris | |
| Luzula campestris | |
| Entire plant | Anisotome aromatica var arom. |
| Ourisia sessilifolia | |
| Ourisia caespitosa | |
| Ourisia macrophylla | |
| Ranunculus insignis |
[edit] References
- Anderson, R. (1986) Keas for keeps. Forest and Bird, 17, 2-5
- Clark, C.M.H. (1970) Observations on population, movements and food of the kea, Nestor notabilis. Notornis, 17, 105-114
- Diamond, J., Bond, A. (1999) Kea. Bird of paradox. The evolution and behavior of a New Zealand Parrot. Berkeley; Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press. (ISBN 0-520-21339-4)
- Fleming, C.A. (1975) The geological history of New Zealand and its biota. In G. Kuschel (Ed.): Biogeography and ecology in New Zealand. The Hague: Dr. W. Junk
- Elliott, G., Kemp, J. (1999) Conservation ecology of kea (Nestor notabilis). Report. WWF New Zealand.
- Gajdon, G.K., Fijn, N., Huber, L.(2006) Limited spread of innovation in a wild parrot, the kea (Nestor notabilis). Animal Cognition, 9, 173-181.
- Juniper, T., Parr, M. (1998) Parrots: A guide to parrots of the world. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press (ISBN 0-30-007453-0)
- de Kloet, R.S., de Kloet, S.R. (2005)The evolution of the spindlin gene in birds: Sequence analysis of an intron of the spindlin W and Z gene reveals four major divisions of the Psittaciformes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 36, 706-721.
- Robertson, H., Heather, B. (2001) The hand guide to the birds of New Zealand. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. (ISBN 0-19-850831-X)
- BirdLife International (2006). Nestor notabilis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is vulnerable
[edit] Gallery
Kea on the Keppler Track |
Kea bathing |
Damp Kea |
Kea on South Island, NZ |
Keas at Arthur's Pass, NZ |
[edit] External links
- Kea
- ARKive - images and movies of the kea (Nestor notabilis)
- Kea research at the University of Vienna [1]de:Kea (Vogel)
