With a broader range of territory, will the kea's mischief subside? Not likely. "Reliance on learning, exploring, and highly destructive behavior is hardwired into the kea.

Keas are cheeky but when in the mood can also be destructive to soft parts of vehicles," warns a sign in New Zealand's Westland National Park. Westland campers have woken up to find their gear dismantled and motorists watch their windshield wiper blades ripped off by the "cheeky" creature.

Few would expect the 20-inch (50-centimeter) brown-green parrot to be the comical-but-destructive animal that local wildlife officials call "the clown of New Zealand's Southern Alps."

"They seem to have evolved a very human-like flexibility and intelligence" and is one of very few animal species that continue to investigate new food possibilities (including cars and bicycles) into adulthood. This flexibility allowed the kea to survive in the inhospitable mountain climate it inhabits.