A New Zealand kea parrot stole a GoPro camera from tourists and took it to the rocks, hopefully the camera was on and just a few minutes later, the owners managed to get the device back.
The thief was able to record unusual footage of a kea flying over the mountains of the Fiordland National Park.
Kea parrots (Nestor notabilis), living in the mountains of the South Island of New Zealand, are considered one of the most intelligent birds in the world.
They quickly master new food sources, including meat, solve complex problems, and even use tools. And they are very curious.
For example, these birds show a destructive interest in tourists' cars and break off windshield wipers and antennas from them.
They also often steal a variety of items from people, from plastic food containers to jewelry.
Last week, a resident of the New Zealand city of Dunedin named Alex Verheul and her family were vacationing in Fiordland National Park.
The Park is a vast protected area in the southwest of New Zealand's South Island.
After completing a day's hike along one of the local hiking trails, the Verheils stopped to rest in a lodge equipped for travelers.
Soon several interested keas flocked to their balcony.
Having decided to take a closer look at the parrots, the tourists put a turned on GoPro camera on the balcony railing.
However, one of the kea suddenly ran up to her, grabbed her with his beak and flew down the slope, accompanied by a relative.
Everything happened so quickly that not a single member of the family had time to react. Just a few minutes later, the camera was found.
The Verheils followed the birds, guided by their loud calls, and about three hundred meters from the house they found the place where they had taken the device.
The camera was not too damaged by the thief. What's more, the camera worked throughout the incident and filmed some very unusual footage.
In the footage, we can see how the kea grabbed the camera, flew about one and a half kilometers over a mountainous area, made a detour and landed on a patch of rocks.
Here the parrot decided to study the prey better: he laid it on the surface of the rock and began to feel it with his beak, while holding it with his paw.
The kea then dropped the camera into the grass and eventually broke off a piece of plastic from it with its beak.
The device was saved from final destruction by the timely appearance of the Verheils.
According to Alex, the camera recorded an eight-minute video, but the woman edited it for publication on YouTube, reducing it to about two minutes.
Although the Verheils have met keas before, they have never had such close interactions with these birds. Interestingly, the next day, the parrots again robbed family members.
This time the birds took some cups from their backpack.
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