I choose kea as my mascot bird because it is one of the most intelligent bird in the world. They are about 48 cm long.
It is the only alpine parrot in the world and is native to New zealand. There has been reports of them attacking farmer’s sheep and stealing food from people.
I saw some when we went through arthurs pass on the way to greymouth. The males have around 20% more mass than females. Some common estimates for population is 1,000 to 7,000. Kea’s used to get bounty hunted to protect sheep but it was outlawed in 1971.
image sourced from: https://www.milford-sound.co.nz/kea-the-clever-clown-of-the-alps/
