A parrot stole a GoPro and inadvertently recorded itself flying off with it

• A New Zealand parrot stole a GoPro and managed to film the entire escapade.
• The rare parrot, called a kea, is known for its cheeky and clever nature.

A New Zealand parrot swiped a GoPro from its owners and managed to film the crime as it flew off, according to local reports.

GoPro footage uploaded to YouTube on Monday shows the bird perched on a balcony on a bright day. Spotting the camera, the parrot hops over, snatches it and leaps into flight.

The bird is a kea, an endangered species that is the world's only mountain-dwelling parrot, according to the Kea Conservation Trust. It's particularly known for its cheeky nature, with the trust dubbing the species "the world's smartest parrot."

This one also turned out to be a great videographer, as it captured stunning views of the New Zealand mountain countryside and the breadth of its brightly-colored wings as it soared away.

After the bird landed, the camera continued filming as the bird made a frenzied attack on the kit, issuing its high-pitched cry. Its hacked at the camera with its beak, pulling off small pieces.

According to New Zealand news channel 1news, the theft took place in the picturesque Fiordland National Park, where GoPro owner Alex Verheul was staying in a lodge with her family.

Verheul told the channel that when she got back the camera, she was shocked to see it had captured the footage.

She found the camera by following the bird's calls to a rocky outcrop, she told the channel, where she found several keas "hanging out in a tree."

"They'd obviously heard us coming and abandoned the GoPro, and my son decided to go check the rocks where it looked like a good place for a bird to land, and there it was still sitting there, still filming," she added.