TEXT:
MELISSA
OWENS
ILLUSTRATIONS:
BILL
SUDDICK
PHOTOS:
MINDEN;
ALAMY
(INSET)
CONSULTANT:
KEA
CONSERVATION
TRUST;
DEPARTMENT
OF
CONSERVATION
NEW
ZEALAND
Family
Kea
are
related
to
kakapo
parrots.
Fave
Foods
They
eat
berries,
shoots,
tubers,
nectar,
insect
larvae
and
meat.
Size
They're
about
as
tall
as
a
cat.
Toe-tally
Awesome
Like
other
parrots,
kea
have
four
toes
on
each
foot:
two
that
point
forward
and
two
that
point
backwards.
Their
toes
act
like
hands,
helping
them
grip
things.
Super
Sounds
Kea
parrots
communicate
with
lots
of
loud
calls,
including
"Kee-yah!"
Best
Beak
These
birds
use
their
pointy
beaks
to
grab
on
to
food
in
tight
spaces,
like
between
rocks.
Baby
Kea
Female
keas
can
lay
two
to
four
eggs
at
a
time.
The
mom
stays
with
the
eggs
for
about
a
month
while
the
dad
looks
for
food.
After
the
eggs
hatch,
kea
chicks
stay
with
their
parents
for
four
months
before
flying
off
on
their
own.
Mountain
Lover
Kea
live
in
New
Zealand
from
the
coast
to
the
mountains.
They're
the
only
parrots
that
live
in
a
mountain
habitat.
K
E
A
P
A
R
R
O
T
WHERE
IT
LIVES
SOUTH
PACIFIC
OCEAN
NEW
ZEALAND
AUSTRALIA
chickadee 7
