S. Porter—The Kea



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sounded like a woman being strangled ! But not many of them have

heard these wild cries ringing and echoing in the wild and romantic

gorges in those far away mountains as I have done, if they had, perhaps

they would find music in those long drawn out nocturnal wails. I have

many visitors to see my birds, but all agree that the Keas are the

most interesting of them all, the birds take quite as much interest in

the visitors as the visitors do in them.


My five birds I have now had for several years and they remain

in perfect condition mainly due to the fact that they have a large

space for flying round and are kept outside all the year round, they

never seem happier than when the snow falls, they tumble and play

about in it like children. Their food consists of all manner of root

vegetables, such as artichokes, parsnips, carrots, beetroot, turnips,

etc., also apples, various nuts, and there is always a pot containing

a mixture of coarse terrier meal and white parrot maize from which

the birds can help themselves if they feel inclined but I do not think

much of this is eaten. I believe the birds in the New Zealand “ Zoos ”

are fed on dry maize and are sometimes given meat, needless to say

they do not survive very long.


I often feel that I would like to try my birds at liberty, but I am

afraid that it would be quite impossible to keep them in a state of

liberty, not so much on account of them straying, but owing to the

fact that their hawk-like appearance would make them an irresistible

target for the marauding “ sadist ” with a gun, whose excuse for killing

any other bird than a game bird, is that “ it looked like a hawk


Two of my birds frequently mate and feed each other, so I have

hopes that they may nest, but this will be difficult with the other birds

in the aviary, though the Kea seems to be a very gregarious kind of a

bird and delights in the company of its fellows.


The method of feeding is peculiar, the root is held by the upper

mandible and is scrapped or grated away by the lower with a sideway

motion, the inner surface of the lower mandible has a roughened surface

by which the bird is able to grate the flesh of the root.


I am never tired of watching Keas and their curious and intelligent

ways, I only wish they were easier to obtain and could then be enjoyed

by other aviculturists.



