Looks could deter

NELSON: A discovery that kea might be able to learn to detect toxic 1080 bait by how it looks could be a breakthrough in teaching them not to eat it.

The controversial poison is used widely to control pests but it also kills nontargeted animals and birds — including, sometimes, the endangered kea.

New research shows that an additive that makes it ‘‘shiny’’, or that appeals to the parrot’s ability to see ultraviolet colour, may be the tool needed to teach them to avoid the toxic pellets.

Kea Conservation Trust patron Peter Hillary said the discovery was timely: the country was on the edge of losing one of the world’s greatest birds.

Zoologist Amy BruntonMartin has applied knowledge that parrots can see ultraviolet colours to her research into kea.

The research included a study using nontoxic bait and a fluorescent dye additive, pyranine.

PhD student Amalia Bastos said work in their lab suggested that kea could learn an aversion to certain things.

‘‘So it is possible to teach them not to approach cereal bait pellets that don’t contain the poison, and then when you do introduce ones with the poison, they might be able to avoid it because of their previous experience.’’

She said the discovery that kea could possibly discern by sight, not just smell, was very good news. — RNZ