Pigeon again: Guerre returns to Hatchery after 24 years of cooperative flight | Birds

He does not have the best domestic instinct. But a New Zealand Named after his native pigeon – or guerrilla – Pitz, he eventually returned to his hatchery after disappearing in the wild for 24 years.

Bitz to raise hand Rainbow Springs – A wildlife and nature park in Rotorua on the North Island of New Zealand – disappeared in 1996, never to be found again before he returned in August. It will form the bird identified by the group counted at his feet at the age of 29; Most tips Guerre lifespan is 15 to 25 years.

Emma Bean, Kiwi Hatchery manager at the park, said: “Bidge was more excited to be in his 30s than some of the caretakers.

Kerr – This The New Zealand Bird of the Year 2018 won Match – Features a unique white feather armor and quiet wing beats. They are known for their drunken, gluttonous nature – the occasional fall from the trees after consuming too much of the berries – and the generously rounded shape.

But Bean said Pitz was “skinny” and was in bad shape when a keeper saw him based on the national hatchery in Rainbow Springs. The park kept his return a secret until they knew he was “doing the right thing”, and he had a month-long feast of grapes and bananas.

“He’s starting to show signs of wanting to fly, so we’ll move him to the birdhouse this week,” he said.

Records do not show whether Pitz fled or was released from the park in 1996, but caretakers believe he lived nearby and returned “a bit to DLC in his retirement years”.

Shortly before the park reopened after New Zealand’s Kovit-19, the 88 – year – old Trout Keeper and another longtime employee remembered Pitz from the early 1990s and were “delighted” he had returned. Disabling. International tourists have been banned from entering the country, and some staff were forced to lay off before receiving a one-time government relief fund to cover operating costs this month.

“Pitz has just hatched here and come home and it syncs very well,” Bean said.

He had returned home near New Zealand Annual kererū census, A citizen science project to find out how many birds there are. They are not considered endangered species, but have declined in number in recent decades.

There is a mystery in Pidgin’s coming home: the kererū is often seen in pairs, and it is not known if he left a girlfriend when he returned to the park.

When Pitz goes to the birdhouse, caregivers will see a bird watching him from the outside, Bean said.

“If he has a partner there, I hope he finds him,” he said. “It’s only been a month … I hope she didn’t go fast.”