Found an Injured Kereru in Wellington? Here's What To Do

Kereru (NZ wood pigeon) are one of the most commonly reported injured birds in Wellington. They are large, beautiful, and unfortunately quite prone to window strikes, cat attacks, and flying into power lines.

Who To Call First

For kereru in Wellington, Tony Stoddard from Kereru Discovery is your best first call. Tony holds a DOC holding and transport permit and can pick up injured kereru and transport them directly to The Nest Te Kohanga at Wellington Zoo for specialist rehabilitation. You can also contact Flock Birdcare Wellington and we will help coordinate.

What To Do While You Wait

• Do not try to catch the bird unless it is in immediate danger

• If you need to contain it, use a large box or laundry basket with air holes

• Keep it dark, quiet and warm

• Do not offer food or water

• Call Flock Birdcare Wellington on 0211955509 for advice

What Flock Can Do for Kereru

Flock holds a DOC holding permit for kereru (up to 10 individuals under permit No. 120038-FAU). This means we can safely receive, assess, stabilise and temporarily hold kereru for up to 3 months while transfer to specialist care is arranged.

Our Kereru Aviary Goal

We are actively fundraising to build a 3x2m kereru aviary at Flock, which will allow us to provide full on-site rehabilitation for kereru in the future. If you would like to support this, please visit our donate page.

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Support Flock Birdcare Wellington - we are a volunteer-run charitable trust and every donation goes directly to patient care. Visit www.flockwellington.com/donate to make a one-off or monthly contribution. Every feathered friend we release is thanks to people like you.

For every other bird emergency, our guide to Wellington's most searched bird rescue questions has you covered. And to see this process in action, read about the feisty kererū who passed through Flock.

Related reading: the feisty kererū with a damaged wing and the early fledgling kererū coordinated to Wellington Zoo.