A karearea, or native New Zealand Falcon, has chased away more than half of the pigeons at the University of Canterbury.
A karearea, or New Zealand native falcon. Photo: Supplied
The karearea, called Tapuae, was hatched in captivity and hand-raised by the Marlborough Falcon Conservation Trust.
It's the first time a university has used a trained bird to scare pests away from its campus.
Tapuae's handler Rob Lawry said pigeons were a huge problem for the university and the city.
"He's trained to go wherever he needs to go" - Rob Lawry
He said he was talking to the university about continuing the programme because it had been so successful.