Kea

Tag: Kea

New Zealand Kea Nesting Success

Things are looking up for Endangered Kea populations in New Zealand where nesting success has suffered due to invasive predators, but conservation efforts are helping. The Kea is a magnificently beautiful and vibrantly colored bird native to New Zealand. It is incredibly vulnerable to predation by several species including invasive stoats, mice, and rats. As […]

Written by on February 15, 2019

IUCN Recognizes Kea as Endangered

After new population studies, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature has uplisted the Kea from Vulnerable to Endangered. New Zealand’s only Alpine Parrot species, the Kea, has been officially declared Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The large, green parrot had been listed as Vulnerable, but recent studies show that […]

Written by on December 15, 2017

Kākāpō Research Reveals New Conservation Challenge

New research reveals that the New Zealand Kākāpō supplements its hormones with compounds similar to those found in native fruits and seeds. Sirocco the Kākāpō has made the New Zealand flightless parrot species famous, but with fewer than 200 individuals, the beloved bird is at serious risk of Extinction. The Critically Endangered Kākāpō is a […]

Written by on August 3, 2017

New Zealand Native Birds at Risk

A report from New Zealand’s Commissioner for the Environment finds native birds are under a greater threat than previously understood. New Zealand is an island nation full of endemic flora and fauna, but a recent report suggests native birds are under more pressure than previously understood. A new report, Taonga of an Island Nation: Saving […]

Written by on June 16, 2017

Skewed Sex-Ratio Amongst Kea a Red Flag

A population census of the New Zealand Kea reveals a disproportionately male population–which could spell trouble for the Vulnerable species. The New Zealand Kea (Nestor notabili) is the world’s only Alpine Parrot and is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Every year a parrot census is carried out throughout the species’ […]

Written by on April 19, 2017

Research Highlights the Importance of Laughter in Kea Sociality

Study shows that the New Zealand Kea is the first non-mammal to show contagious emotion though a laugh-like noise that makes other Keas happy. We all know that laughter is contagious among humans. Now, research tells us that it’s also contagious among Keas. The Kea is a species of parrot native to the mountains of New […]

Written by on April 5, 2017

Controversial New Zealand Alpine Parrot Nears Extinction

The polarized New Zealand Alpine Parrot, “Kea”, faces extinction due to invasive species and other threats. Kea are one of the most maligned of New Zealand birds, as well as one of our most loved. -Tamsin Orr-Walker, chair of the Kea Conservation Trust The New Zealand Kea (Nestor notabilis), ranked Vulnerable by the International Union […]

Written by on October 3, 2016