Kea are the worlds only alpine parrot and are endemic to the South Island of New Zealand.

These special birds are among the smartest bird species, possibly even being the most intelligent with the only other contender for smartest bird being the New Caledonian Crow.

These birds are able to solve complex puzzles that require experimentation and a complex though process and are known to use tools both in the wild and in captivity.

Their intelligence also comes along with a lot of curiosity and behaviors we typically only see in primates, such as ourselves.
Kea are known to tamper with predator control traps by setting them off with a stick.
These birds also have a specific call that when sounded makes all the Kea in the immediate area want to play with each other.

The Kea is unfortunately another threatened species and recent evidence is pointing towards that these birds are in more trouble than we thought.
Introduced species such as stoats decimate the populations, usually preying on nesting birds and their young.
The Kea have not evolved to handle with such predators, so all the parents can do is watch their chicks get ripped apart by these invasive species.

Luckily and thanks to the hard work of people doing predator control with trapping and 1080 drops, Kea breeding success rate has gone up and the population is slowly increasing.

Kea are surprisingly colourful birds, they may appear a green and olive colour but as soon as they spread their wings bright and glorious plumage shows. Metallic blues and fiery reds fill the sky.
Juvenile birds have yellow skin around their eyes and nostrils, this turns grey as they enter adulthood.