Listen to the Kea
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the Kea
The Kea is a bird in the family Nestoridae (order Psittaciformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “endangered”. Adults weigh around 779 g.
What does the Kea sound like?
Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once. Songs tend to be long and patterned and are used to hold territory and attract a mate; calls are short signals for contact, alarm and flight.
The recordings here are labelled as kea-song. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
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. About 48 cm (19 in) long, it is mostly olive-green, with brilliant orange under its wings, and has a large, narrow, curved, grey-brown upper beak. 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. The kea is now uncommon, and received absolute protection under the Wildlife Act in 1986.
The kea nests in burrows or crevices among the roots of trees. Kea are known for their intelligence and curiosity, both vital to their survival in a harsh mountain environment. Kea can solve logical puzzles, such as pushing and pulling things in a certain order to get to food, and will work together to achieve a certain objective. They have been filmed preparing and using tools.
Related birds in the genus Nestor
Frequently asked questions
What does a Kea sound like?
You can hear 1 recording of the Kea on this page, including its kea-song. Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once.
Is the Kea endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Kea as “endangered”.
What family does the Kea belong to?
The Kea (Nestor notabilis) belongs to the family Nestoridae in the order Psittaciformes.
Sources & credits
- Kea-song – CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q193337 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Kea – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Markus Koljonen ( Dilaudid ) – CC BY-SA 3.0