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Both female and male Kea are alike in their green coloration. Both have red plumage on the napes of their necks and underneath the wingFor some other uses of the word "wing" please see Wing (disambiguation . Laughing Gull on the beach in Atlantic City. Birds' bones are hollow, to cut down on weight and allow flight A wing is a surface used to produce an aerodynamic force normal to the dis that can be easily seen while in flight. The only true visible distinction between the genders is their mandible with the male having a larger longer curving upper mandible. The juvenile Keas have bright orange-yellow featherA feather is one of the epidermal growths that forms the distinctive outer covering, or plumage on a bird. They are the outstanding character that distinguishes the Class Aves from all others. Animal origins Feathers are the most complicated integumentarys around their mandibleThis article is about the human bone. In insects, the mandible is the segment forming the mouth. The mandible inferior maxillary bone (together with the maxilla) is the largest and strongest bone of the face. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower tee and nostrilA nostril is one of the two channels of the nose, from the point where they bifurcate to the external opening. In birds and mammals they contain branched bones or cartilages called turbinates whose function is to warm air on inhalation and remove moistures, juveniles typically acquire their adult plumage at approximately eighteen months of age. Keas are predominantly ground avians, and are very playful in character, often amusing onlookers with their acrobatics and sideways hopping antics even to move forwards. They prefer the ground to arboreal habitats. Keas typically nest in crevice s under rockRock is a substance composed of minerals and classified according to mineral composition. Rocks are generally clasified by the processes that formed them, and are thus separated into igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. Igneous rocks are formed frs, in the roots of treeThis article is about the biological organisms known as trees. For other meanings of the word see tree (disambiguation). oak tree in Denmark A tree can be defined as a large perennial woody plant. Though there is no set definition of size, it is generallys or hollow logs. Keas can typically be found in flocks of ten or more, and during breedingBreeding has several meanings related to procreation: In animal husbandry and in horticulture the selection of stock for propagation and the act of insemination by natural or artificial means is called breeding. See Selective breeding and Artificial selec, juveniles can be found in groups topping the hundreds. Breeding seasons typically occur between July and January. Keas lay clutches of 2–4 eggs per season and these are incubated by the female for around twenty-nine days. When the chicks are a month old the male Kea assists in their feeding. Keas are reported to have polygamist breeding behaviors with the male pairing up with up to 4 females.

Their diet consists of leaves, buds, fruits, insects, carrion and the remains of dead animals. Keas need to obtain fats to survive the harsh alpine environment and have been known to visit local rookeries and rob the nests of their eggs or young chicks. They are reported to prize particularly the fat surrounding sheeps' kidneys, and stories are told of their riding sheep over cliffs to obtain these morsels.

The Kea is now a protected species, but was once hunted for a bounty paid by farmers for killing their sheep. At one time ten shillings were being offered per Kea beak, today that would be the equivalent of sixty-five dollars. Reports have documented an estimated 150,000 Keas to have been slaughtered during this period. In the 1970s the Kea received partial protection after census counted 5000 Keas. They were not fully protected until 1986, when farmers were persuaded to give up their legal right to shoot any Kea that tampered with property or livestock, in exchange the government agreed to investigate any reports of such problem birds and have them safely removed from the land. Despite sufferings incurred by the hands of humans the Kea remains a very friendly, playful human-loving bird.