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How a Disabled Parrot Named Bruce Became the Alpha of His Circus

This guy has leadership coursing through his veins.

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Bruce, a disabled kea parrot in New Zealand, became the big boss of his flock. He did this despite missing his entire upper beak, which forced him to invent his own fighting style, helping him establish dominance in his social group.

Before I go on, it should be noted that the kea’s social group is known as a “circus,” which to me immediately implies that I can’t take any of these birds seriously. Still, Bruce’s story is inspiring.

According to a study published in Current Biology, Bruce, a kea at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in New Zealand, developed a jousting-like technique for using his beak to establish dominance. Usually, Keas do this by using their fully........

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