Watch mischievous parrot steal GoPro, film flight across New Zealand national park
A group of hikers were robbed at Fiordland National Park in New Zealand — by a bird.
The Verheul family was taking a trip in the national park and had been filming a flock of birds after their hike along Kepler Track when one of the kea parrots hopped over, snagged the family’s GoPro in its beak, and took flight, CNN reported.
“My son decided to go put the GoPro on the handrail, and [the bird] promptly stole it,” Alex Verheul told Seven Sharp in an interview.
As the bird flies away, the GoPro films the family staring at the feathered thief in the distance. The camera continues to roll as the bird soars through the park until it finally lands on a rock with the camera.
The New Zealand family was at first certain that they would never get their GoPro back, Verheul told Seven Sharp, but the bird flew in a straight line and the group could see the area where it landed with the camera in the distance, so they decided to make the trek into the brush to find the camera.
The GoPro filmed the parrot picking at the camera, holding pieces of plastic in its beak, until the bird abandons the camera. Eventually, a voice shouts, “I found it!” and Verheul’s son comes into view.
Kea parrots are known to be the only alpine parrot, researchers say. They’ve been termed “the clowns of the mountains” due to their mischievous nature, and are native to New Zealand.
“I was really surprised,” Verheul told Seven Sharp when she looked at the footage uploaded on Feb. 1. “It was amazing, totally unexpected.”
The kea parrot is a protected species, according to the New Zealand government. The New Zealand Department of Conservation has reported the birds committing clever and nefarious acts in the past, including:
- Turning on the water tap at campgrounds
- Locking a mountaineer inside a toilet
- Learning to use tools to set off stoat traps to get the eggs
- Holding a tug-of-war contest with a cat over a rabbit carcass
- Hiding behind a human for protection from attacks by other birds
This story was originally published February 8, 2022 at 7:53 PM with the headline "Watch mischievous parrot steal GoPro, film flight across New Zealand national park."
