Bird Album
Kea
Nestor notabilis Gould, 1856
48 cmLength863 gWeight
This olive alpine parrot has bright orange hidden beneath its wings.
Busiest months: November–January · Most records: New Zealand
How to identify
Field marks
- Feathers mostly olive
- Underwing feathers orange
- Upper mandible slender, long, curved and gray
- Tail short and broad, blue-green with a black tip
Male, female and young
Male has a longer upper mandible; juvenile has a yellow eye-ring and cere, and an orange-yellow lower mandible.
Voice
Call in flight a drawn-out “keee aaa”.
Where and when it's recorded
Kea has been recorded at 7 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Fiordland NP – Milford SoundNew Zealand144 records
- Fiordland NP – Lake Gunn Nature WalkNew Zealand43 records
- Fiordland NP – Mirror LakesNew Zealand24 records
More places
- Wānaka – Lake foreshoreNew Zealand8 records
- Abel Tasman NP – Marahau EstuaryNew Zealand6 records
- Queenstown GardensNew Zealand3 records
- Motueka Sandspit - Quay EntranceNew Zealand1 record
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The kea is a species of large parrot in the family Strigopidae that is endemic to the forested and alpine regions of the South Island of New Zealand. Its omnivorous diet consists mainly of roots, leaves, berries, nectar, and insects, but also includes carrion. It was once killed for bounty due to concern by sheep farmers that it attacked livestock, especially sheep.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Kea?
The Kea is about 48 cm long and weighs around 863 g.
Where does the Kea live?
Its breeding range: Australasia: montane South Island (New Zealand). It is most often recorded in New Zealand.
When is the best time to see the Kea?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January, November and December (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Kea endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Kea as Endangered.
What does the Kea eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Kea in?
It belongs to the family New Zealand Parrots (Strigopidae), order Parrot (Psittaciformes).
At a glance
- Length
- 48 cm
- Weight
- 863 g
- Habitat
- Grassland
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Endangered
More measurements
- Wing
- 308 mm
- Tail
- 168 mm
- Bill
- 59 mm
- Tarsus
- 45 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Australasia: montane South Island (New Zealand)
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Parrot Psittaciformes
- Family
- New Zealand Parrots Strigopidae
- Genus
- Nestor
Other birds in the genus Nestor
New Zealand KakaNestor meridionalis
KakapoStrigops habroptilus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Oscar Thomas. ↗
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