Did a kaka fly from Wellington to Palmerston North?
A WILD kaka has been sighted in Palmerston North for what is believed to be the first time.
Peter Russell, a technician at the Palmerston North Victoria Esplanade Gardens, spotted the native bird and believes it is the same bird he first saw in the city’s Memorial Park in June.
The latest sighting was in a totara tree above the Esplanade’s captive kaka aviary on Monday.
Russell said the bird spent time ‘‘conversing’’ with the two kaka in the aviary before it was chased off by a tui.
He had not heard of wild kaka being sighted in Palmerston North city before.
The Department of Conservation estimates there are fewer than 5000 kaka nationwide, making it less common than kiwi.
The kaka had a red band on one of its legs, from which Russell determined it had probably come from Wellington’s Zealandia, or Boundary Stream Mainland Island reserve north of Napier.
Kaka have been known to frequent the Wairarapa and Kapiti regions.
Zealandia spokesman Cameron Hayes said most of the sanctuary’s birds tended to stick around Wellington. ‘‘They have been known to travel. I don’t think we’ve had them travel to Palmy.’’
If the kaka was from Zealandia, it would probably be one of the sanctuary’s younger birds from last year, he said.
Zealandia conservation manager Raewyn Empson said: ‘‘We have had reports of our banded kaka in New Plymouth and Palmerston North, as well as one that travelled up to Pukaha Mt Bruce and then back.
‘‘They are very capable of travelling big distances.’’
Empson said kaka preferred lowland and mid-altitude native forest, and usually nested in hollow trees.
Zealandia had banded more than 600 kaka since they were first released in 2002 but were unsure how many were now in the reserve or the Wellington City area because many were now unbanded.
At least 30 breeding pairs were confirmed to be in the reserve.
Russell is still trying to get a decent glimpse of the bird’s second leg band, which will establish exactly which breeding pair and nest it has come from.
He said it was exciting to have a wild kaka ‘‘endorse’’ the Esplanade, which will be the site of the new Wildbase Recovery Centre. The conservation project includes purpose-built aviaries for wildlife to recover from illness and injury after treatment at Massey University’s Wildbase Hospital.