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What the sources say

Kea (Alpine Parrot)Nestor notabilis

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Kea (Alpine Parrot) profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 45 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

New Zealand Birds Online

Kea. New Zealand Birds Online.

The page sayspersecuted as a sheep killer for over a century
The source saysBounty hunting of kea as a measure to protect sheep was outlawed in 1971 ... This behaviour is not common, but was the reason why kea were persecuted for over a hundred years.Note: "This behaviour" is the sheep attack described in the sentence before it on the page.
The page saysNative forest, subalpine scrub, tussock and herb-field along the South Island's axial ranges, from coastal dunes to high alpine peaks
The source saysKea range over about four million hectares along the axial ranges of the South Island ... They can be found from coastal dunes to high alpine peaks ... Their foraging habitat includes all types of native forest, sub-alpine scrub, tussock and herb-field.
The page saysranging over about four million hectares of its axial ranges from Farewell Spit to Waitutu
The source saysKea range over about four million hectares along the axial ranges of the South Island, from Farewell Spit to Waitutu, plus the Kaikoura Ranges.
The page saysKea can be found from coastal dunes to high alpine peaks.
The source saysThey can be found from coastal dunes to high alpine peaks
The page saysAn adult grows to about 46 centimetres long.
The source saysIdentification Length: 46 cm Weight: 900 - 1100 g (male), 700 - 900 g (female)Note: NZBO's Identification block; short field values, given with surrounding context.
The page saysMales weigh 900 to 1,100 grams
The source saysWeight: 900 - 1100 g (male), 700 - 900 g (female)
The page saysKea have been recorded living at least 22 years.
The source saysMaximum longevity At least 22 years
The page sayshuhu grubs dug out of rotten logs
The source saysexcavate rotten logs for huhu grubs
The page saysand the carcasses of deer, chamois, tahr and sheep
The source saysthroughout their range they scavenge from carcasses of deer, chamois, tahr, and sheep
The page saysSome kea perch on a sheep's back and dig through skin and muscle to reach the fat around its kidneys, a wound that can turn septic and kill the sheep.
The source saysSome birds perch on sheeps' backs and dig through skin and muscle on the rump to reach the fat around the kidneys, which can result in fatal septicaemia. This behaviour is not common
The page saysThe behaviour was not common, but it was the reason kea were persecuted for over a hundred years
The source saysThis behaviour is not common, but was the reason why kea were persecuted for over a hundred years.
The page saysabout 150,000 were shot between 1860 and 1970
The source saysthe shooting of 150,000 birds between 1860 and 1970
The page saysBounty hunting of kea to protect sheep was outlawed in 1971, and full protection was finally granted in 1986.
The source saysBounty hunting of kea as a measure to protect sheep was outlawed in 1971, and full protection was finally granted in 1986.
The page saysKea nest on the ground, in natural cavities such as rock crevices, hollow logs and hollows under tree roots.
The source sayson the ground in natural cavities such as a rock crevice, the hollow base of a large tree, a hollow under the roots of a tree, a hollow logNote: The page's sentence begins "Kea nest mainly below the tree line, on the ground...": "mainly" qualifies below the tree line, not the ground.
The page sayscounting kea across such rugged terrain is difficult, and any estimate is little more than a guess
The source saysEstimating kea population size is difficult due to their extensive range, rugged terrain, low kea density, cryptic behaviour of adults and flocking behaviour of juveniles. With current data, any population estimate is little more than a guess.
The page saystags: omnivore
The source saysKea are omnivorous, taking a wide range of plant and animal matter.

Source
02

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Nestor notabilis (kea). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysBeech leaves, buds and nuts, berries, nectar, roots, beetle grubs, and carrion
The source saysThe leaves, buds, and nuts of southern beeches (Nothofagus) are especially important in the kea diet ... In summer kea consume the nectar and pollen of flowering mountain flax ... They eat berries of coprosma ... In summer they also eat beetle grubs ... continue foraging on the roots, bulbs, fruit, seeds, and stems of other plants ... relish the flesh and bone marrow from carcasses
The page sayshas been known to wreck car wipers
The source saysKea have been known to destroy car accessories, such as windshield wipers and weather stripping.
The page saysThe kea (Nestor notabilis) lives only on New Zealand's South Island
The source saysKea are found only in the mountains of South Island, New Zealand.
The page saysfemales weigh about 20 percent less, with a shorter, less curved upper bill
The source saysKea have decurved upper bills (culmens). Females have shorter, less curved culmens and weigh about 20 percent less than males.
The page saysThey are opportunistic omnivores, eating plants and animals alike
The source saysKea are opportunistic, omnivorous parrots.
The page saysbeech leaves, buds and nuts, berries, nectar and roots
The source saysThe leaves, buds, and nuts of southern beeches (Nothofagus) are especially important in the kea diet ... In summer kea consume the nectar and pollen of flowering mountain flax ... They eat berries of coprosma ... continue foraging on the roots, bulbs, fruit, seeds, and stems of other plants
The page saysthey have been known to destroy car wipers and weather stripping
The source saysKea have been known to destroy car accessories, such as windshield wipers and weather stripping.
The page saysCaptive kea can learn a complicated task just by watching others, though this has not been shown in wild kea.
The source saysit has been shown that kea in captivity can learn complicated tasks from observing others, though this ability has not been shown for kea in the wild

Source
03

New Zealand Department of Conservation

Kea. New Zealand Department of Conservation.

The page saysThat leaves eggs and chicks exposed to introduced stoats and feral cats, which kill adult kea too.
The source saysThese introduced predators kill kea: Stoats (main predator) - they kill adult kea, chicks and eggs. Feral cats - they kill adult kea, chicks and eggs. ... Kea are especially at risk because they nest on the ground and spend lots of time there looking for food.
The page saysWhere predators are controlled, about 70% of kea nests succeed; without control, success can drop to 10% or less.
The source saysKea monitoring shows when predators are controlled, about 70% of kea nests succeed. Without control, this can drop to 10% or less.
The page saysThe Department of Conservation estimates there are 1,000 to 5,000 kea
The source saysPopulation: 1,000-5,000 estimatedNote: DOC's current species page. NZBO (Kemp 2013, updated 2021) gives about 6,000 and calls 1,000-5,000 extreme; the DOC 2021 blog gives 3,000-7,000. The current institution page is used.
The page saysPeople harm kea too, through lead poisoning, deliberate killing, feeding them, and accidents with man-made items such as cars.
The source saysThreats: Predation, human impacts including lead poisoning, deliberate killing, being fed by people, and accidents with man-made items such as cars

Source
04

New Zealand Department of Conservation 2021

The hidden risk for the world's smartest bird. New Zealand Department of Conservation, 2021.

The page saysplus a love of tinkering that often turns on taps
The source saysKea love tinkering. They often turn on taps
The page saysA 2021 Department of Conservation article reported feral cats killing kea in numbers comparable to stoats in eastern parts of the South Island.
The source saysFeral cats are killing kea, in numbers comparable to stoats in eastern parts of the South Island.Note: 2021 is the post's date (URL /2021/06/30/ and reference metadata).
The page saysKea love tinkering: they often turn on taps
The source saysKea love tinkering. They often turn on taps
The page saysA kea at Mueller Hut once even managed to lock a mountaineer inside the toilet.
The source saysa kea once managed to lock a mountaineer in the toilet at the Mueller hut

Source
05

Bastos & Taylor 2020

Bastos & Taylor (2020). Kea show three signatures of domain-general statistical inference. Nature Communications.

The page saysmatched human infants and chimpanzees on a probability test
The source sayskea mirrored the performance of infants 28 and chimpanzees 38 in using the relative frequency of objects across this experimentNote: Experiment 1 of the study; the paper's tasks were those given to human infants ("signatures of human statistical inference, using comparable tasks to those administered to infants").
The page saysUses relative quantities to predict odds, as human infants and chimpanzees do
The source sayskea mirrored the performance of infants 28 and chimpanzees 38 in using the relative frequency of objects across this experiment
The page saysIn a 2020 study of six male kea at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve
The source saysOur subjects were six male kea at Willowbank Wildlife ReserveNote: 2020 is the publication year, from reference metadata.
The page saysthe birds showed three signatures of statistical inference
The source sayskea exhibit three signatures of statistical inference
The page saysWatching an experimenter draw from two jars of mixed tokens, they picked the hand more likely to hold a rewarding one
The source saysthree tasks where they watched sampling events from two populations of mixed objects (rewarding and unrewarding tokens) at different proportions ... Kea observed an experimenter sampling from each of these populations and were then presented with two closed hands. Three of six kea spontaneously showed a preference for the hand that had sampled the population with 100 rewarding tokens
The page saysby comparing relative quantities
The source sayswe tested whether kea (Nestor notabilis) can use relative quantities when predicting sampling outcomes
The page saysthen factored in a barrier and whether the experimenter sampled with a bias
The source saysintegrate both physical information about the presence of a barrier, and social information about the biased sampling of an experimenter, into their predictions
The page saysThe authors say this is evidence that true statistical inference exists outside the great apes.
The source saysThis result provides evidence that true statistical inference is found outside of the great apes

Source
06

Schwing et al. 2017

Schwing et al. (2017). Positive emotional contagion in a New Zealand parrot. Current Biology.

The page saysKea have a distinct play call, and when researchers played recordings of it to wild kea, both juveniles and adults played more.
The source saysThe kea parrot (Nestor notabilis) has complex play behaviour and a distinct play vocalization ... We used acoustic playback to investigate the effect of play calls on wild kea, finding that play vocalizations increase the amount of play among both juveniles and adults
The page saysThe call likely works as a positive emotional contagion, an emotive behaviour that spreads from one individual to another, the way laughter does in humans.
The source saysPositive emotional contagions are outwardly emotive actions that spread from one individual to another, such as glee in preschool children [1] or laughter in humans of all ages [2]. ... likely by acting as a positive emotional contagion.
The page saysfor a parrot whose play call is contagious: wild kea that heard a recording of it played more
The source saysThe kea parrot (Nestor notabilis) has complex play behaviour and a distinct play vocalization ... We used acoustic playback to investigate the effect of play calls on wild kea, finding that play vocalizations increase the amount of play among both juveniles and adults

Source
07

Goodman, Hayward & Hunt 2018

Goodman, Hayward & Hunt (2018). Habitual tool use innovated by free-living New Zealand kea. Scientific Reports.

The page saystags: tool-user
The source saysOver approximately 2.5 years, sticks were found inserted into at least 227 different trap-boxes that were up to 27 km apart. Video footage confirmed that the stick insertion was kea tool use.

Source
08

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017

Nestor notabilis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T22684831A119243358.

The page saysEndangered
The source saysiucn red list category endangered en nestor notabilisNote: stats.conservationStatus. Category read through GBIF's copy of the Red List (iucnredlist.org refuses scripts): Endangered (EN), Nestor notabilis, assessed 2017.

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.