A male of the Nestor notabilis subspecies resides in New Zealand’s Willowbank Wildlife Reserve. Bruce has long been on researchers’ radar: he was already noted as the first kea documented employing small stones as a tool for self-maintenance. However, he possesses far more remarkable aptitudes. These were detailed in research published in the scientific journal Current Biology.
The study’s author, Alexander Graham, affiliated with the University of Canterbury, described how Bruce compensates for the absence of his upper beak, apparently lost during past altercations. He substitutes typical pecking and grasping actions with swift, thrusting jabs utilizing his lower beak, which protrudes due to the injury. Healthy parrots cannot replicate this distinctive technique due to anatomical constraints. Experts playfully termed this maneuver “jousting.”
During observations of 12 birds (nine males and three females), biologists recorded 227 aggressive encounters. Bruce engaged in 36 conflicts with other males—and emerged victorious in every single one! Most wins were “by a clear margin!” He attacks both at close range, extending his neck, and with a running start or leap to add extra force to his strike.
Dominance conferred tangible advantages upon the “fighter”: Bruce is the first to access the feeding stations, and he exhibits the lowest levels of corticosterone metabolites (the stress hormone) present within the group. Finally, a signal of high status: he is the sole male whose companions willingly preen his beak and feathers.
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