A baby parrot who went rogue during a flying lesson at the Auckland Zoo yesterday morning has been found.
The Auckland Zoo macaws Photo: Supplied
The little macaw spent nearly 24 hours away from home, but sightings from the public helped zoo staff track her all the way to a backyard in Westmere.
On Facebook, the zoo said the macaw "went on a little adventure around nearby Meola Reef and Westmere, before we reunited with her.
"Our big thanks to lovely local couple Becky and Greg Mills, who had seen our Facebook post earlier in the day, and were out walking their dog when they spotted her and contacted us.
"She's very happy to be back home with her brother and our zoo whānau.
"Thank you to everyone who was looking out for our macaw, with special thanks to all of the wonderful locals who helped her safe return."
The zoo said the blue and gold macaw was spooked by sudden rain while flying between keepers on Thursday morning.
The bird is called "baby girl" because she is too young for a name, a staff member said.
"Her flying lessons, which involve flying small distances from hand to hand with keepers, have been going extremely well," the zoo said on its Facebook page.