The Kea – Photographing The World’s Only Alpine Parrot

While photographing the South Island of New Zealand I became fascinated with the kea. This highly intelligent bird is the world’s only alpine parrot. They are extremely opportunistic and I knew their behaviour would be fun to photograph. One of them was trying to get into our car and unfortunately it didn’t take too long to figure out why. We came across a roadside stop and people were feeding them, despite all of the signs asking people not to. Unfortunately this has seen the birds become “the bird that New Zealand residents love to hate”. To tourists they are more well known for their destructive behaviour than their precarious situation.

I have found the kea to be as interesting as they are stunning. Their quirky personalities and willingness to walk right up to you makes them great birds to photograph. Bird photography is challenging to say the least. So you can imagine how elated I was to have them right in front of me. All of the birds photographed in this blog post were encountered along the road from Milford Sound to Te Anau.

The Kea – Photographing The World’s Only Alpine Parrot by Racheal Christian

This cheeky kea was checking me out near Milford Sound.

5 Things I Learned Photographing The Kea

The backdrop behind the bird is as important as photographing the bird itself.
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Photograph the subject from a number of different angles.
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Always make sure the eye of the bird is in focus.
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Be aware of how you frame the photograph. I had to crop a few of the images to tidy up the composition.
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Take your time. I regret that I didn’t wait long enough to get a photograph of them in flight.

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The Kea Needs Our Help

It was hard not to feel bad for the kea. They nest on the ground, thus making them vulnerable to introduced predators. I couldn’t believe it when I found out that close to 60% of their nests can be attacked during breeding. Apparently it is hard to monitor them closely as they are quite nomadic. Despite the difficulties conservationists face, there are a number of ornithologists and researchers working hard to save the species.

This rare bird is endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. It’s wild population is estimated to be somewhere between 1000 and 5000. Their story is a bit doom and gloom. Although you feel nothing but fascination and joy when you are around them. They are very social and are extremely playful with one another. Also when you look into their eyes you can tell there is a lot going on behind them. It’s animals like these little guys that make me want to keep traveling and photographing the world. It also compels me to share what I learn about the subjects I photograph.

This amazing bird is in trouble and needs all the help you can throw it’s way. To learn more about how you can help visit the Kea Conservation Trust.