Kokako returns to South Island

A native bird thought to be lost from the South Island for decades has been returned.

Eight kokako have been relocated from Mapara, near Te Kuiti, to Fiordland's Secretary Island, in the first such transfer of the species known for its song. Kokako were once widespread throughout the south.

The last confirmed record of the bird in Fiordland was a few feathers in the Borland Saddle area in 1967.

"These kokako will restore an important part of the ecosystem that was lost with the disappearance of the South Island kokako," said DOC ranger Megan Willans.