FAM. NESTORIDA 
BY T. SALVADORI 
Characters. The bill is rather long, longer than deep, much compressed 
with the culmen grooved along the middle; the hook of the bill underneath nearly 

smooth, but with superficial longitudinal ridges; under mandible with the gonys 
nearly straight, or slanting in a gentle curve towards the tip (cf. Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. Vol. 20, 
p. 3 (891) fig. T, bill and under surface of the hook). The cere partly covered with hairy feathers. 
The tongue with a delicate fringe of hairs at the tip. The tail-feathers 12, with the shafts 
pointed and projecting beyond the webs. The feathers soft, those at the base of the lower 
mandible projecting forward and hairy. The tarsus is rather long, like that of Stringops. The 
orbital ring is complete. The colouring of the feathers is generally brown, relieved with red 
and yellow. 
Habits. The Nestoride, like all the Parrots do, have their nests in hollow trees, or in 
the crevices of the rocks, and lay from two to four white eggs. They live in woods, or among 
shrubby rocks on high mountains, feeding on insects and their larve, and also on a variety of 
juicy berries; they are very fond of sucking nectar from the crimson flowers of the Rata 
(Metrosideros robusta). It is a well known fact that one species of Nestor (N. nofabilis) in its 
wild state has a great penchant for raw flesh, attacking the sheep to obtain it. The species of 
this genus are easely tamed. 
Range. The Nestoridz are confined to the New Zealand subregion, 
