‖ kea
(ˈkea, ˈkɪə)
[Maori: from the cry of the bird.]
The Green Alpine Parrot of New Zealand (Nestor notabilis), which destroys sheep in order to prey upon their kidney-fat.
It was originally frugivorous, but had become before 1881 a pest to sheep-farmers in the Southern Alps of N.Z.
| 1862 J. Von Haast Explor. Head Waters Waitaki in Geol. Westland (1879) 36 (Morris) A number of large green alpine parrots..the kea of the natives. 1871 Nature IV. 489/1 The Kea..may be seen and heard in certain localities amidst the wild scenery of the Southern Alps in the middle island of New Zealand. 1883 Standard 7 Sept. 5/2 The rabbit, the sparrow, and the kea are getting so numerous that..the squatters are almost in despair. 1895 Times 20 Dec. 13/1 The Kea of New Zealand..a mountain parrot naturally frugivorous, which has developed a fatal taste for mutton. |