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Meat and Vegetable Eating.
If keas, both in captivity and in their wild state, have never been known to eat meat or fat, then this fact would cast grave doubts on the belief that they are the culprits. On the other hand, if the birds, though they are not naturally carnivorous, have been known to eat meat and fat and even relish it, then we have some reason to believe that these parrots maybe guilty of sheep-killing. Many people still believe that these birds are not meat-eaters, but though in some cases this is true, most of the men who have kept keas, or have seen them feeding in the open, say emphatically that they like a meat diet.
There are other birds besides these mountain-parrots that have taken to eating meat, though not naturally carnivorous. Many cockatoos are fond of picking meat from bones, and the white-eye (Zosterops cœrulescens) can be often seen in winter eating meat and fat.
Sir W. L. Buller (J) tells of a number of parrots that took to killing and eating their fellows.
Mr. C. C. Lake, Christchurch, writes saying, “I was given a kea when in Fairlie some two or three years ago, and although I had him several months prior to his death, I can honestly say that never once did I see him refuse meat in preference to anything else.”
Mr. R. Urquhart, Mount Algidus Station, Canterbury, when writing on this question, says, “It is a strange thing, for we have nine keas in a cage, and I can honestly say that they have had nothing but meat to eat for the last two years.”
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Mr. Fred Daw, Miller's Flat, Otago, writes of an experience of his when on the Red Mountains, Southland: “The bird [kea] not only made a hole in the tent, but started eating the fat which was hanging on the ridge-pole.”
Mr. George Rutherford, Dalethorpe, Canterbury, states, “I have had a kea on the chain here this last four months, and he seems as lively now as the first day we got him, and his only diet is kidneys, liver, and warm fat. He won't eat much cold fat. He seems very fond of raw carrots, and eats them every day.”
Dr. L. Cockayne writes as follows: “In the summer of 1897-98 I was camped for some weeks on Arthur's Pass, at an altitude of 2,800 ft. During a part of that time three keas lived round the camp, frequently perching on the beech-trees and at times climbing over the tents. These birds fed greedily on any meat which was thrown to them, picking hones and so on. They were by no means friendly with one another, one being especially the ‘cock of the walk’ and driving away the others when they came after the food. These particular birds were extremely tame, and would actually perch upon the long ends of wood jutting from our fire.” Dr. Cockayne adds the following to the above and his other statements about the kea: “All the above is written from memory, and therefore I do not vouch for its accuracy. Observations of animals and plants should be entered in a note-book at the time of observation, otherwise they can only be accepted with caution.”
Others testifying to the keas eating meat are Messrs. W. N. Ford, J. Morgan, J. McIntosh, John McGregor, A. Watherston, H. T. Heckler, P. Dunbar, &c. Without going into the evidence of these men, I think enough has been said to prove that many keas, whether wild or tame, will eat meat and even relish it. Not only does the kea eat meat, but twice it has been seen acting the cannibal.
Mr. J. Morgan, Lake Coleridge Station, writes, “When going up to the Big Basin, Forks, Mesopotamia, one day, a mob of keas came and settled close to me. I knocked one over and cut off its beak and let it roll down the snow-slips to the bottom of the basin. Immediately the mob swooped down on it and started pulling the feathers out as it was rolling down. I was rather curious to see if they would eat their, dead mate, so when going back I went and saw the bird. The mob of keas were still there, kicking up a great fuss, and all that remained of their dead mate was the head and bones, which were picked clean. It could not have been more than three-quarters of an hour since I killed the bird until I saw it again ‘stripped.’ I have seen the same on more than one occasion since, though I never investigated it the same as the above.”
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Some of my correspondents have written to say that the keas under their observation prefer vegetables, insects, &c., to meat. These instances are not very numerous, but are, I think, worth while recording.
Mr. A. J. McKay, Geraldine, writes, “I had a kea sent me from the Mackenzie country, and I observed its habits very closely. He would eat flies, spiders, and caterpillars of any description, and was fond of vegetables such as peas and beans in the pod. I tried him with kidney-fat (sheep) and the kidneys themselves, but he would hardly deign to put his beak into them.”
Mr. Gully, Nelson, writes, “I beg to acknowledge your letter, and in reply beg to inform you that we have a live kea in the gardens here. It eats bread-and-milk, sugar, apples, dock - leaves, &c., and since its confinement has preferred a vegetable diet, eating no meat.”
Dr. F. W. Hilgendorf, Agricultural College, Lincoln, gives me the following account of a kea that lives near Malte Brun, Mount Cook: “A plate of meat which was put on a platform was pulled over the edge immediately by the kea, without tasting the meat, and this we could never get him to eat, although he would pick up crumbs of bread.”
Mr. C. V. Rides, of the Christchurch Acclimatisation Gardens, gives the following account of two keas in the aviary, which shows that these birds often like both the vegetable and the meat diets. He says, “We have two keas here, which we have had in a cage for about eighteen months with a hawk, with which they agree very well. Although these birds will and do eat meat, always preferring the fat and suet, they are equally fond of all kinds of fruit, such as apples, plums, cherries, elderberries, green peas, bits of cabbage-stumps, &c., not caring for wheat or maize, such as other parrots are fed on When dead rats are put in for the hawk the keas never attempt to pull them to pieces. I do not think that the information concerning these birds in captivity is of much value as regards their native life; I notice that most birds in confinement lose character to a large extent. Even the wild ducks prefer cakes and buns to the usual wheat and maize, &c.”
From what has been said it can be seen that many, if not most, keas in captivity will eat meat; a few keep to both diets, as no doubt the wild keas do, and others seem to abhor meat and keep to a vegetable or insectivorous diet.
These accounts may at first seem very contradictory, but I think the explanation is that all keas have not acquired the taste for meat; and very likely, if a bird is captured before it has got the taste for meat, it is not likely to acquire it as long as it has a plentiful supply of ordinary food.