Meet The Stunning Kea, The Only Alpine Parrot In The World

This big, olive-green parrot has scarlet underwings and a slender grey-black bill. Juveniles have yellow ceres and eyelids, and as they mature, they fade to grey. Female kea are slightly smaller than males and have shorter beaks, and they are all great flyers. Their name in Maori is onomatopoeic, as their long, loud, high-pitched descending cry may be broken kee-ee-aa-aa, or unbroken keeeeeaaaa. Kea can be found in coastal areas too, but they are most commonly found in or near alpine regions. Their home spans around 3,5 million hectares, and once was rich in these birds, and even 100 000 of them lived there.