Kea Diet: Remarkable Eating Habits of an Alpine Parrot

New Zealand’s kea is one of the world’s most intelligent and adaptable parrots, thriving in harsh alpine environments where food sources fluctuate dramatically. Unlike many parrots, its diet includes a wide range of foods, from plant material to scavenged meat, allowing it to survive in challenging conditions.

This dietary flexibility has shaped the kea’s foraging behavior and interactions with both native ecosystems and human activities.

Foraging Strategies

The kea employs a versatile approach to foraging, shaped by the unpredictable availability of food in its alpine habitat. Unlike parrots that rely on a narrow selection of food sources, this species exhibits an opportunistic feeding strategy, constantly adapting to locate and extract sustenance from various environments. Its intelligence plays a central role in this adaptability, as kea have been observed using problem-solving skills to access food that would otherwise be out of reach. They have been documented flipping over rocks to uncover hidden invertebrates, a behavior that demonstrates foresight and persistence.

Social learning enhances their foraging efficiency. Kea often forage in small groups, where individuals observe and mimic successful techniques used by others. This ability to learn from peers allows them to refine their methods over time, leading to innovative behaviors such as using their strong, curved beaks to pry open tough plant material or manipulate objects to access food. Juveniles, in particular, are highly exploratory, testing different strategies before settling on the most effective ones. This trial-and-error approach ensures they develop a diverse set of foraging skills, which is especially valuable in an environment where food availability is inconsistent.

Their foraging also reflects a high degree of persistence and problem-solving ability. In controlled experiments, kea have demonstrated the capacity to solve complex puzzles to obtain food rewards, a trait that translates into their natural foraging habits. They have been observed dismantling objects, such as unzipping backpacks or opening latches, in search of food. This dexterity and cognitive flexibility allow them to exploit novel food sources, contributing to their survival in a challenging ecosystem.

Plant-Based Foods

The kea’s diet includes a significant amount of plant material, which it gathers from alpine and subalpine vegetation. Its strong, curved beak allows it to manipulate tough plant structures, giving it access to seeds, fruits, nectar, and tree sap. This dietary diversity sustains the species throughout the year, particularly when animal-based food sources are scarce.

Seeds

Seeds form a key part of the kea’s diet, particularly those from native alpine and subalpine plants. The bird consumes seeds from species such as mountain beech (Fuscospora cliffortioides), tussock grasses (Chionochloa spp.), and speargrass (Aciphylla spp.). These seeds provide essential nutrients, including fats and proteins, which are particularly valuable during colder months when other food sources are limited.

Kea use their powerful beaks to extract seeds from tough seed pods and cones, often employing their dexterous tongues to remove the edible portions. Their ability to crack open hard seed casings gives them access to food that many other birds in their habitat cannot exploit. Additionally, their foraging plays a role in seed dispersal, as they may inadvertently transport seeds to new locations, contributing to the regeneration of native plant species.

Fruits and Nectar

The kea consumes a variety of fruits, particularly those from native New Zealand plants such as Dracophyllum, Coprosma, and Muehlenbeckia species. These fruits provide carbohydrates and water, making them an important dietary component, especially in warmer months when they are more abundant. The bird’s strong beak allows it to break through tough fruit skins, while its tongue helps extract the soft, nutrient-rich pulp inside.

Kea also feed on nectar from flowering plants, including Phormium tenax (New Zealand flax) and Metrosideros umbellata (southern rātā). Their feeding behavior on nectar-bearing flowers may contribute to pollination, as pollen adheres to their feathers and beaks, facilitating cross-pollination between plants. This interaction benefits both the kea and the plant species, reinforcing the bird’s role in maintaining ecological balance.

Tree Sap

Tree sap is another plant-based food source kea exploit, particularly when other food options are scarce. They have been observed stripping bark from certain tree species, such as Nothofagus (southern beech), to access the nutrient-rich sap beneath. This behavior requires both strength and persistence, as the birds must peel away layers of bark before reaching the sap.

The sap provides sugars and minerals, which can be particularly beneficial during colder months when energy demands are higher. Some researchers suggest that kea may also consume sap for its potential antimicrobial properties, though this aspect of their diet remains less studied. Their ability to extract sap from trees demonstrates their adaptability in utilizing diverse food sources.

Animal-Based Foods

While plant material makes up a significant portion of the kea’s diet, these parrots also consume a variety of animal-based foods, an unusual trait among parrots. This opportunistic feeding behavior allows them to exploit high-protein food sources when available. Their consumption of invertebrates, scavenged vertebrate carcasses, and even bird eggs demonstrates their adaptability.

Invertebrates

Kea actively forage for invertebrates, particularly during warmer months when insect populations are more abundant. They flip over rocks, dig into soil, and probe decaying wood to uncover beetle larvae, cicadas, and wētā—large, flightless orthopterans endemic to New Zealand. These protein-rich food sources provide essential amino acids that support muscle development and overall health.

Their foraging techniques showcase their intelligence and problem-solving abilities. For example, kea have been seen prying apart rotting logs to expose hidden insects. This behavior is particularly common among juveniles, who engage in exploratory foraging to refine their hunting skills. The consumption of invertebrates also helps regulate insect populations, preventing outbreaks that could negatively impact native vegetation.

Vertebrate Carcasses

One of the most unusual aspects of the kea’s diet is its scavenging behavior. Unlike most parrots, which are strictly herbivorous, kea have been documented feeding on the carcasses of dead animals, including introduced species such as deer and sheep. This behavior provides them with a valuable source of protein and fat, particularly in winter when plant-based foods are less available.

Kea use their sharp beaks to tear into soft tissue, consuming muscle, fat, and even bone marrow. While scavenging is a natural behavior, it has led to conflicts with farmers, as kea have been accused of attacking live sheep by pecking at their backs to access fat deposits. Though this behavior is rare, it has contributed to the bird’s reputation as a nuisance in some rural areas.

Egg Predation

Kea have been known to raid the nests of other birds, consuming eggs and, in some cases, hatchlings. This behavior has been observed in alpine and forested regions, where kea target the nests of species such as the sooty shearwater (Ardenna grisea). Eggs provide a concentrated source of protein and fats, making them a valuable food source, particularly during breeding seasons when kea require additional energy.

Their approach to egg predation is methodical, often involving the use of their beaks to crack open eggshells and extract the contents. While egg predation is a natural part of their behavior, it can have ecological consequences, particularly for vulnerable bird species already facing population declines.

Seasonal Feeding Variations

The kea’s diet shifts throughout the year in response to changing environmental conditions. During the warmer months, food sources are more abundant, allowing kea to take advantage of fresh plant material, including berries, leaves, and nectar. Warmer temperatures also bring an increase in insect populations, offering a protein-rich supplement to their diet. Juveniles spend these months refining their foraging techniques, experimenting with different food types as they learn from more experienced individuals.

As temperatures drop and winter sets in, snow covers large portions of their habitat, reducing access to many plant-based foods. In response, kea shift their foraging to more durable food sources, such as seeds and tree sap. Their problem-solving abilities become even more apparent during this time, as they explore new strategies to locate food, sometimes venturing to lower altitudes where conditions are less extreme.

Interactions With Human Activities

The kea’s intelligence and curiosity have led to frequent interactions with human activities, sometimes resulting in both beneficial and problematic encounters. As tourism and human settlements encroach on their habitat, these birds have adapted by exploring human structures, vehicles, and food sources. They are notorious for dismantling items such as windshield wipers, backpacks, and even roofing materials.

One of the most significant concerns arising from human interaction is the impact of artificial food sources on kea behavior and health. In tourist-heavy regions, the birds scavenge from garbage bins and accept food from visitors, leading to dietary imbalances. Conservation groups have worked to mitigate this issue by promoting responsible wildlife interactions, such as discouraging feeding and securing waste disposal sites. Efforts to reinforce natural foraging patterns have become a priority in conservation programs aimed at ensuring their long-term survival.