Globally parrots occupy vastly diverse habitats, obviously not in the northern continents but certainly in the southern regions. In Ushaia there is a parrot that lives amongst the valleys that bisect the southern tip of the Andies. In the Amazon birds swelter under blazing suns. Gang-gangs cockatoos nibble seed cones in snow clad trees on the Blue Mountains range and Kakapo stumble through muddy ferns on the temporal rain forest floor. We tend to think of parrots and trees going hand in hand. Even in the deserts of central Australia where incredible numbers of parrots congregate around dying water holes we still see them roosting in trees. I have seen flocks of Budgerigars fill a dead tree so that it looked as if it has sprung new lush yellow and greed leaves. Then suddenly the flock erupted into the air as if a tornado had hit and there remained the lifeless tree again. I do know of one bird that seems to break the parrot/tree rule, a creature that is amongst the most intelligent birds on earth. With a full complement of problem solving skills this parrot has learned to adapt to all levels of elevation and is considered to be the worlds only truly alpine parrot. I am talking about the Kea (Nestor notabilis) New Zealand’s Mountain Parrot. It is this creature (and the occasional cycle tour of Australia’s Northern Territory and a brief stint with Western Australia’s Ground Parrot) that has meant that I have not blogged in over 1.5yrs. But it is this creature that so challenges me that I can’t ever seem to get the upper hand. I find it hard to speak with any authority about its natural behaviour despite spending endless days tracking it through the bush and locating and monitoring its nests.
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