Viral video shows kākā bird turning on tap to drink from it

The special moment was captured on video, and has since gone viral.
The special moment was captured on video, and has since gone viral. Photo credit: Instagram (@mattmartel)

A video of one of New Zealand's rare and endangered native bird species has gone viral after it skilfully turned on a tap to drink from it.

The brightly coloured bird was spotted in the Te Anau Bird Sanctuary by one lucky holiday-goer.

Blown away by the bird's ability to turn on a tap with its beak and have a drink of water, the man captured the special moment on video, in all its glory.

In the video, the kākā turns the tap on and off and sticks its beak into the hole to take big gulps of water.

The bird also turns down the pressure of the water, allowing him to keep his beak inside the tap to continue his refreshing drink.

The video has now been viewed more than 30 million times and received a whopping 1.3 million likes on Instagram.

People from across the world have commented on the video, praising the bird for its clever skill.

"How are these birds so cute and clever," one person wrote.

"He is way smarter than me," another joked.

"I like how he's actually being conscious of his use of water."