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Is this the cleverest bird in all the world?

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It's an endangered parrot
from New Zealand - called a kea.

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To cope with life in these mountains,

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it needs a clever game plan,
and all the right moves.

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So is the kea a mere pawn
in the game for survival?

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Or is it clever enough
to invent its own rules?

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The majestic mountains of the Southern Alps

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are on every New Zealand tourist's
"must see" list

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especially since "The Lord of the Rings"
was filmed here.

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But it isn't orcs or trolls
you need to watch out for¡­

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there are other, more real perils.

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Keas are famous as vandals.

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What makes these birds behave so badly?

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Is it nature, or nurture?

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In Fox township, on the seaward side
of the southern alps,

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keas patrol the streets.

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What could be more charming than
a flock of playful parrots on parade?

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But these birds are armed, and dangerous

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The kea's powerful feet and claws
can snatch and grab most objects,

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while that wicked-looking beak
acts like a Swiss army knife,

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combining cutting blade, chisel,
pliers and a full cutlery set.

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Equipped with weapons
of trash destruction,

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keas are an invasion force
to be reckoned with.

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In this raid telecommunications
are the target¡­

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Keas show little respect,

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even if there is something
worth watching on the television.

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"But these are their burrows ¡­

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and inside..."

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The problem for
the long-suffering householder

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is that these rare native birds
enjoy full legal protection.

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So there's a limit to what can be done,

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within the law, to keep them at bay.

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The only option is to try
to kea-proof everything in sight.

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Buses¡­

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Bins¡­

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¡­ even cars¡­

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Nonetheless, wiring up your roof to
the mains seems a little over the top!

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Even a truck needs protection...

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The kea's appetite for playful
mischief seems insatiable.

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But is that all it is?

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Or is there more to the kea's mind
than simple curiosity?

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Just watch this kea raiding a wheelie bin!

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It is using its brain
as a chess player does,

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to work out a sequence of moves,

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which logs need to be shifted in what
order to allow it to open the bin.

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And it isn't just clever;

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it has brawn as well as brains.

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This isn't a trick the bird was taught.

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This kea is a wild creature.

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It figured out the problem
without any human prompting¡­

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A perfect opening gambit!

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Observations of intelligent behaviour like this

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have brought scientists from across the world

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to test the kea's abilities
in its natural habitat,

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in Mount Cook National Park.

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In this test, the wild kea
is offered some butter

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¨C a favourite kea treat

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¨C sandwiched between two plastic cylinders.

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It can only get the reward

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by dismantling the apparatus in exactly
the reverse order in which it was assembled.

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This would tax the ingenuity of a monkey,
or even a young child.

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After a bit of trial-and-error,

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the kea has solved the puzzle.

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Meanwhile, another bird is watching,

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and learning from the first kea's moves.

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When it comes to the onlooker's turn,

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it emulates the first bird's actions.

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solving the problem to claim its own reward.

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Next, a test of joined-up thinking.

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A wild kea is unlikely to have seen
a puzzle like this before,

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yet it takes it just minutes to claim the prize.

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Taken one step further,

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this apparatus invites the bird
to create a simple mental map

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to figure out which string it needs to pull.

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Most other animals
would use trial and error

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¨C but the smart kea
goes straight to the solution.

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Impressed, the scientists devised
an even more challenging problem.

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In Europe, a number of zoos and research
establishments keep keas in captivity,

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but it's hard to prevent
such sharp-minded creatures

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from becoming bored
and frustrated in a cage.

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Presented with puzzles to solve,

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captive keas tackle them with enthusiasm.

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In all the examples we have seen so far,

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the birds are solving a problem
to get a reward¡­

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But what if the test is designed
so the bird can't win by itself?

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The outcome now depends on teamwork.

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One bird needs another to pull the string

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so it can claim the food.

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Time after time,

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the keas show they can co-operate.

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Keas aren't impressed by our rules.

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If there's a way to cheat,

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they're sure to work it out.

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In the wild, this ability
to learn and interact as a team

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is the key to their survival
in a harsh mountain environment.

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So how does a young kea
develop these core skills?

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Is it instinct or education?

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Keas pair for life,

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nesting in tunnels among the rocks in
inaccessible corners of the Southern Alps.

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Inside the nest,
the female rears up to four chicks,

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feeding them on food collected
by her mate,

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which he has pre-digested.

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Growing babies remain in the nest
for around three months

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until they are fully fledged.

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They are certainly going to need
all those warm, fluffy feathers¡­

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Their first winter in the mountains

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is a testing time for young,
inexperienced birds.

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Snow flurries can appear
suddenly at any time,

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sending the temperature plummeting.

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It's hard to find anything
to eat in all this snow,

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even for a clever parrot.

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Only a third of these youngsters
will make it through their first year.

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Their best chance of survival
is to band together,

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so that if one finds
a new food source, all can share.

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But however tough the conditions,

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nothing seems to dampen the keas' spirits¡­

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Young keas enjoy an extended childhood.

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They don't begin to breed until
they are three to five years old.

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This gives them lots of time to learn
through social interaction and play.

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No other bird plays as much as the kea.

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This rough and tumble

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not only helps young birds
to develop crucial physical skills,

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it also allows them to sort out
their place in the social hierarchy.

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During the first year or so after fledging,

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young keas fly around in gangs.

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Free from the responsibilities of parenthood

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they cruise the mountain ranges,

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checking out the action,

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and discovering where they can find food.

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Keas can only make a living by
investigating everything in their range.

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In these wild mountains,

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the game of survival is
more complicated than chess¡­

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The harsh climate means that most
native plants have only a brief season

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in which they produce flowers and fruits

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The young birds need to learn

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to exploit each food resource
in the short time it's available.

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From autumn through to spring

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wooded valleys provide them
with leaves, buds and fruits

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from a range of different plants.

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An enquiring mind is the key
to a full belly.

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Keas are known to eat at least
a hundred different types of plants

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and to do that

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a young bird has to absorb
a huge amount of information.

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During the southern summer,

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once the snow has retreated,

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they can move up into the alpine meadows
above the treeline.

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But while plants are a key resource
in the mountains

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it costs a lot in terms of calories
to harvest them.

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However, there are other food options¡­

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These burrows were made
by Hutton's shearwaters,

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a seabird that nests in the mountains.

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Inside is a plump, half-grown chick.

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The keas know this,

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and also that the parent birds are
likely to be away until nightfall,

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collecting food.

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It isn't hard to spot the keas' game plan¡­

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And guess what its next move
is likely to be.

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No other parrots behave
as predators in this way.

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For a kea, the key to survival
is to be versatile,

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bold, and ready to exploit any opportunity

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When European settlers
arrived in these mountains

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they could find only one use
for such rugged terrain¡­

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Flocks of introduced sheep changed
the ecology of the alpine grasslands.

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The birds were forced to turn
to alternative food sources.

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Under cover of darkness,

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keas found it easy
to attack defenceless flocks,

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pecking open the sheep's back to
get at the rich fat deposits beneath.

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Sheep worrying was to prove
a disastrous move for the kea.

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The mountain parrot became
New Zealand's most wanted outlaw,

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with a price on its head.

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Kea hunters were able
to exploit the kea's curiosity

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to lure it to its own destruction.

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A bright fire on a hillside at night
was an irresistible attraction,

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especially to younger birds.

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Tens of thousands of keas were shot,

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and the species came close to extinction

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before it was given legal protection.

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A hundred years on,

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keas no longer need to worry
about men with guns¡­

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The men these days carry ice axes.

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These snowy slopes
are a favourite with mountaineers.

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Every weekend sees an invasion
of city dwellers

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kitted out with crampons on their feet,

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and down-filled jackets
to keep out the cold.

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The keas' mountain gear
is just as hi-tech.

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Their plumage has a dense layer
of down next to the skin.

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And by regulating blood-flow to their feet,

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they are able to conserve body heat,

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and prevent their toes
from getting frostbite.

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What keas don't have

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is any way of halting human encroachment
on their mountain home¡­

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The New Zealand Alps
are great for winter sports.

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Resorts like this have become
a Mecca for skiers,

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bristling with development and
heaving with eager holidaymakers¡­

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Their natural boldness,
curiosity and opportunism

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allow keas to move in

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and take full advantage of the ski fields
during the winter months.

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Outdoor cafes and restaurants
are just one big smorgasbord.

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It doesn't take hungry birds long
to develop a taste for fast food.

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And strong drink¡­

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A curious kea will try anything¡­ once!

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Experimentation, rather than instinct,
is the hallmark of intelligence.

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This is far from bad for them.

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The high calories in junk food
are just what is needed

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to supplement their regular diet
of plants and berries.

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Better nutrition during
the winter nesting season,

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means that those keas which
breed close to the ski resorts

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are increasing their numbers.

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But although they have learnt to accept the
presence of people in their mountain home,

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keas are still wild birds,

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and they maintain their outlaw traditions

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Far from being pawns
in the game of survival,

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they have proved to be tough competitors,

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using their intelligence
to cope with new challenges,

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and gaining popularity

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as cheeky symbols of New Zealand's
premier mountain playground.

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Keas have never played by the rules.

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Their clever brain allows them
to innovate and improvise

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¨C creating their own game plan,

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and modifying their culture to suit
the demands of a changing world¡­

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Even at its naughtiest,

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we can't help but be charmed
by the kea's sheer exuberance

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and its seemingly endless appetite for play

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