RG flies full tit back to his Hunua mate

By ANNE BESTON



A tiny bird has stunned conservation staff by making an intrepid journey back to a former home to be with its mate.

The travels of "RG", a 10g male tomtit which flew 63km from Tiritiri Matangi wildlife sanctuary in the Hauraki Gulf to the Hunua Ranges in southeast Auckland, could be a record-breaker.

"This has shown he was able to make it back, dodging predators all the way and somehow getting enough food to get him there," said Department of Conservation spokeswoman Rosalie Stamp.

RG, named after a DoC staff member, was one of 32 banded tomtits transferred to the island in April. A number of endangered species live there, including tuatara and takahe.

About the size of a silvereye, tomtits are not endangered but are fully protected, fiercely territorial and usually keep the same partner.

RG's mate eluded capture during the transfer and RG braved the open sea and unfamiliar landscape to rejoin her.

While the trip to Tiri involved a car journey and helicopter ride in a dark box, RG relied solely on tomtit navigation to get home.

It is not known how long the journey took, the bird simply showing up at a monitoring and feeding site last month. The "RG" band was proof of its big adventure.

The Hunuas, unlike pest-free Tiritiri Matangi, are home to a range of predators including rats, stoats and ferrets but RG had earned the right to stay put, said project co-ordinator Barbara Hughes.

"He's obviously a South Auckland bird with attitude who likes it tough," she said.

The tomtit translocation was years in the planning but so far RG is the only bird known to have snubbed its new home.