20 Dec 2018

Auckland Zoo searches for 'baby girl' bird who disappeared during flying lesson

6:31 pm on 20 December 2018

Auckland Zoo staff are searching for one of its young macaws after it flew away during a flying lesson.

The Auckland Zoo macaws

The Auckland Zoo macaws Photo: Supplied

The zoo says the blue and gold macaw was spooked by sudden rain this morning while flying between keepers.

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.

It flew off in the direction of MOTAT.

Anyone who sees the bird is being asked not to try to capture her but to call the zoo and keep her in sight.

"She is a juvenile blue and gold macaw - almost the size of an adult, with a silver metal band on her right leg," the zoo said.

"She is capable of flying quite some distance, but will be disorientated and not be able to find her way back to the zoo."