The outer web of its primaries is dull blue, and the underwing coverts are orange red with yellow barring and notching that extends to the undersides of its flight feathers. The lower back of the kea is dull red in color, and this coloration reaches to its uppertail coverts. The upper surface of the tail is bronze-green, and the under surface of the tail is dull yellow. The female has a shorter, less curved culmen and weighs about 20 percent less than the male. The juvenile kea has a yellowish crown and cere.
Food habits vary depending on season.
Keas also feed on fruit and leaves, and scavenge on trash heaps. Keas eat flesh and bone marrow from carcasses. The parrot has gained a reputation for attacking sheep, although they usually only prey on wounded or diseased sheep. Their main reproductive period lasts from July to January. They nest in burrows under rocks or among tree roots.