What parrots can teach us about human intelligence
The birds' brains and behavior could give clues to the evolution of intelligence
Bruce the kea is missing the top half of his beak. To compensate, the New Zealand parrot wields pebble tools to clean his feathers.
Patrick Wood
Bruce the kea is missing his upper beak, giving the olive green parrot a look of perpetual surprise. But scientists are the astonished ones.
The typical kea (Nestor notabilis) sports a long, sharp beak, perfect for digging insects out of rotten logs or ripping roots from the ground in New Zealand’s alpine forests.