Behold the incredible kea:
Seen on the Milford Road, South Island, NZ, where these magnificent birds strut around like they own the place, sometimes stealing wiper blades and lens caps from hapless tourists.
This one was tagged, but not all of his confederates were. They're extremely vulnerable birds (though not as endangered as their cousins the kakapo), and I assume the Dept of Conservation keeps track of individuals. Unfortunately their charisma is a mixed blessing: they're overfed by tourists, becoming habituated to people and traffic in the national park here, where many die on the roads. They're also vulnerable to nest predation by introduced mammalian pests, like a lot of NZ birds.
They're incredibly intelligent (like, great ape or raven smarts) and curious. This one watched me a while, but when he figured out I was just going to take photos and not feed him, he quickly lost interest in me and went to investigate someone else's car. At least until I got back into mine and was fiddling with my camera: I heard a
thump, footsteps, and a twanging noise. I got out of my car, and he was sitting on my roof, looking innocent as the aerial snapped back. Attempted vandalism?