Dazed ruru found outside Wellington cafe ready to return to wild

The morepork will be released tomorrow, depending on the weather. Photo / Supplied

A ruru bird that was rescued from a central Wellington footpath after possibly being hit by a car or flying into a window has the all clear to return to the wild.

The morepork was found sitting dazed outside Lido cafe on Wellington's Victoria St with a crowd of concerned passersby trying to figure out what to do with it.

A member of Forest and Bird rescued the bird and took it to The Nest Te Kōhanga, Wellington Zoo's animal hospital.

Last week, senior vet Baukje Lenting said they couldn't initially figure out what was wrong with the bird, as it had no obvious broken bones or wounds.

But an X-ray revealed bruising around its ear canals, meaning it was likely it had flown into a window or been hit by a car.

The vets have carried out neurological exams and a flight test to make sure the ruru's reflexes were responding correctly.

Today, a zoo spokeswoman confirmed the bird is ready to be released.

Weather dependent, they will send it back to the wild tomorrow afternoon.

If the public find injured native wildlife they can bring them to The Nest Te Kōhanga.

Introduced species should be taken to the SPCA.