One of the native birds has been spotted in Waikaia, after being seen many times by various residents in the past months.
In August, a kākā was spotted by a resident of west Gore.
It was unknown whether it was the same kākā that has been seen in Waikaia.
Waikaia resident Peter Green said this was the first time he had heard of a kākā living in the township.
"I grew up in Waikaia and there’s never been a kākā seen here in my lifetime. So it’s quite a surprise, a pleasant surprise."
Members of the community told him the bird had been living in the township for a couple of months, he said.
"It’s only been reported to me. I’ve seen photographs of it.
"We’re quite keen to encourage the native birdlife around the place. Doing everything we can do encourage him to bring some mates."
Getting the kākā to breed locally would be "nice".
A patch of bush near Awatere Station had the nickname Kākā bush, indicating they once lived there, he said.
Piano Flat had also once been home to the native bird and others including kea.
He believed reintroducing the kākā to the area would be possible.
"They are not a species that appears to be particularly vulnerable to predation because they’re quite an aggressive bird."
Since retirement, Mr Green has spent time setting up traps at Piano Flat and the Waikaia Domain and Recreation Reserve to catch predators such as stoats and rats.
The reason for this was to encourage the Department of Conservation [Doc] to reintroduce kākā and other native birds into the area, he said.
"Whether or not we can do that with that with the present predator loading that is up [Waikaia forest], I don’t know whether [Doc] would be interested in doing it."
"That’s what peaked my interest when one was floating around town."
Doc biodiversity ranger Kaitlyn Hamilton said it was not unheard of for a kākā to visit Southland.
"Kākā are very strong flyers and are known to disperse long distances. They may fly to different sites for food depending on the season."
It was not common, but also not unheard of, for them to visit rural Southland, she said.
"They’re typically found in and around mature native forest."
The nearest populations were at Fiordland National Park, Orokonui Ecosanctuary and Stewart Island.
"When kākā come into towns they may be looking for food. It’s important not to feed them, just admire them from a distance. We think it will probably return to where it came from as their breeding season begins in spring."
Manaaki Whenua — Landcare Research tracked kākā who visited rural Waikato during winter, which flew hundreds of kilometres back to sites around the Hauraki Gulf in the summer, she said.
"This may be a similar situation."
