New Zealand parrot has 'infectious laugh'

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - Researchers have found that New Zealand's kea parrot has the avian equivalent of an infectious laugh - a call that when heard prompts others to drop everything and have some fun.

Kea live in alpine areas and are renowned in New Zealand for being intelligent and mischievous, often called "the clown of the mountain".

But a paper published in the journal Current Biology on Tuesday argues the bird's playful reputation is not entirely anthropomorphic.