And most parents are generally quite happy to be rid of their eye-rolling and moody teens.
But not Orokonui Ecosanctuary educator Taylor Davies-Colley.
He and fellow staff had mixed emotions when the 5-month-old takahe and an unnamed sibling flew the nest.
They were hatched at the Orokonui Ecosanctuary last October, and are now being transported to the Department of Conservation’s Te Anau Bird Sanctuary.
Once they were 12 months old, they would either be released into predator-controlled wild homes or sent to other sanctuaries for breeding purposes, Mr Davies-Colley said.
‘‘It’s a little bit sad because they’ve been a massive part of the ecosanctuary for so many months now, and it’s been amazing for people to see them.
‘‘We’ve had school groups come and the kids have been able to see this family of four takahe just roaming around.
‘‘It’s incredible given that there’s less than 500 of them in total and they were thought to be extinct for 50 years.
‘‘But also, we’re super proud because this is the first time since 2017 that we’ve had takahe chicks fledge and leave us, which is really cool.’’
He said it was a bit like watching your own children leave home.
‘‘It’s like when your kids go off to uni or off on their big OE.
‘‘It is really sad, but we’ll be able to keep up with what they’re up to.
‘‘Doc will be able to provide us with that information and we’ll learn when they have chicks of their own and we’ll know where they end up.’’
Ecosanctuary general manager Amanda Symon was delighted the chicks were moving out.
‘‘It’s really important conservation work that we do here and it’s great to be able to contribute to the wider work of Doc and other programmes such as the Takahe Recovery Programme in Te Anau.’’
