Native New Zealand pigeon returns home after 24-year absence

Hatchery manager says Pidge could be the oldest living member of his species

A New Zealand pigeon, also known as a kererū, perches in a tree in Akaroa on New Zealand's South Island. (Terry Whittaker/Flpa/imageBROKER/REX)

A New Zealand pigeon has returned to the place where it was born, more than two decades after last being seen there. 

The 29-year-old wood pigeon or kererū, as the species is also known, was spotted in Rainbow Springs, a wildlife park in Rotorua in late August.

The bird, which is called Pidge, was born in a hatchery there in March 1991, later flying off into the wild in 1996, according to the New Zealand Herald.

Pidge’s identity was revealed after he was taken to a wildlife intensive care unit for treatment and his ankle band was examined.

Emma Bean, the kiwi hatchery manager at the nature park, said that he could be the oldest  kererū alive today, as most of them do not live for more than 25 years.

Ms Bean told the New Zealand publication: "We're really pleased to be able to provide the extra care and support he needs in his senior years.”

“He is quite possibly the oldest known kererū alive today – which is something we're investigating,” she added.

The kererū was crowned as the country’s Bird of the Year competition in 2018, beating the flightless kakapo to the top prize.

Pidge’s return comes ahead of this year’s Great Kereru Count (GKC), an annual citizen science project established to gather information about the species, including the total number of birds and their distribution around the country. 

Although it is not a threatened species, numbers of the species have dropped slightly in recent years, with 15,459 recorded in 2017 and 14,287 counted last year.

The native wood pigeon, which is green, bronze and white in colour,  is the only bird left in New Zealand that can eat and disperse seeds from the country’s biggest native trees, according to GKC.