Kaka chick's 260km flight

Conservation officer Matu Booth with Kupe, the young kaka who flew 130km and then came home to roost at the wildlife sanctuary.

Kupe the young kaka has staff at Wellington's Karori Wildlife Sanctuary in a flap after he flew 130km away and then inexplicably came home to roost.

The high-flying native parrot was only four months old and considered too young for such a trip when he flew to the National Wildlife Centre at Mt Bruce in Wairarapa last year.

But Kupe proved it was no fluke when he made the return trip to the Wellington sanctuary eight months later, turning up in January.

Sanctuary conservation scientist Raewyn Empson said in a statement yesterday that kaka were known for flying long distances, but at four months old Kupe was particularly young when he began his journey.

"The first we, and Mt Bruce, knew about it was when he turned up there and started bossing the resident kaka around," she said.

"Then he disappeared last December and turned up again at Karori Wildlife Sanctuary a few weeks later, in January."

Sanctuary conservation officer Ron Goudswaard, who was the first to note the banded bird on its return, speculated that Kupe may have left the sanctuary because he was not getting enough attention from his parents.

The Wellington sanctuary has 20 kaka. On Saturday it will host a kaka day, giving the public a chance to see the parrots up close.

- NZPA