Kea using sticks as tools

Kea have joint the leage of tool using animals. Imge by Evan Goldenberg.The word seems to be spreading through the kea community - "use a stick!"

In September last year the Otago Daily Times reported kea in Fiordland had been observed grasping sticks in their powerful beaks and triggering stoat traps with them.

That way, the "cheeky" mountain parrots were able to get their beaks on the egg used as bait in the trap.

Since then, the same observations have been made in the West Matukituki Valley, over the mountains from Fiordland and near to Wanaka.

During summer, for the first time, Matukituki kea were observed triggering traps with a stick.

Department of Conservation Wanaka ranger Flo Gaud said the Matukituki kea would "poke through the wire mesh a stick and push on the plate and set them off".

Because of the distance from Fiordland, she was fairly certain the same birds were not responsible.

But somehow the Matukituki birds have learned the trick of getting the egg from the stoat trap.

Ms Gaud said kea were very good mimics and were likely to teach each other.

Doc staff had already been forced to anchor stoat traps to trees to prevent kea from overturning them and she hoped the stick trick, which had been employed on only a few occasions, would not spread further.

The unfortunate irony is that the traps are set to protect kea nests from predation by stoats.