Name This Kea

Words by Liam Stretch. Images provided.

They’re perhaps New Zealand’s second-most famous bird – just tailing the kiwi by a whisker, and they happen to be the naughtiest parrots on Earth. Yes, if you’ve ever travelled through the rugged
mountain-scape of the Southern Alps, you will know that I am referring to the one-and-only kea. Despite their exceptional intelligence, these birds are in trouble, and a local conservation group has developed an innovative way to bring attention to the alpine aviators. Pride Conservation, a social enterprise, has teamed up with the Kea Conservation Trust and the KeaDatabase.nz to give you, the public, the once in a lifetime opportunity to name one of these curious parrots.

What do we know about the bird in question? “She was a lovely but tough little lass,” Laura from the Kea Conservation Trust said. She’s a girl with attitude – get your thinking hats on to come up with a
fitting name. Kea McKeaface?

This is the fourth campaign run by Pride Conservation, in the kea conservation area. Their campaigns have also had an impact further afield, as they work with different charities in New Zealand and abroad, including fundraising for education services in rural Tanzania. Key partner, Kea Database is an exciting citizen science project. It brings the everyday person into the shoes of a conservationist, by allowing the public to report sightings of kea to the website to add to vital conservation intel and track banded birds. So, get a pen and pad, and start scribbling down some ideas. No name is too wild! Also, maybe save
a couple of dollars from your student loan to add to the fundraising effort!