Taxonomy and Naming
The Kea was described by ornithologist John Gould in 1856. Its specific epithet, the Latin term notabilis, means "noteworthy". The common name is from Māori, probably representing the screech of the bird. The term Kea is both singular and plural.
The genus Nestor contains four species: the New Zealand Kaka (Nestor meridionalis), the Kea (N. notabilis), the extinct Norfolk Kaka (N. productus) and the extinct Chatham Kaka (N. sp.). All four are thought to stem from a "proto-Kākā", dwelling in the forests of New Zealand five million years ago. Their closest relative is the Kākāpō (Strigops habroptila). Together, they form the parrot family Strigopidae, an ancient group that split off from all other Psittacidae before their radiation.
A gathering or group of Kea is called a circus.
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