Keith the cockatiel performs the Queen classic 'Another One Bites The Dust'
Keith the cockatiel's first time flying outside wasn't just a short trip in the local area - but a more than 60km journey across the North Island.
Keith hadn't been outdoors before, when, on December 23, his owner Peter Champion forgot the bird was sitting on his shoulder and walkedout the front door for work.
"He made a startled squawk and flew up about 80 feet in the air," Champion said.
"I called him, he was straight above me. He hesitated, then kept going."
Losing Keith made Champion feel "absolutely rotten".
Word spread quickly, with a lot of people sharing Facebook posts about Keith.
The Forrest Hill resident on Auckland's North Shore thought Keith wouldn't get far - maybe to nearby Milford Beach.
But as days passed with no sign of Keith, Champion gave up hope of ever seeing him again.
Meanwhile, at a Coromandel Peninsula campground, an Auckland couple were sitting outside their tents on Boxing Day when an "abnormal" looking bird landed on their ute.
Amy Van Den Berg climbed up on to the truck to try to fetch the bird - which would turn out to be Keith - off the windscreen where he had landed. He then flew and landed on her arm.
