WELLINGTON: A flock of New Zealand`s flightless kiwi birds briefly took to the skies on Monday, carried across the country in chartered planes on a special conservation mission.

The ground-dwelling kiwi is one of New Zealand`s beloved national icons, but it is also one of the country`s most vulnerable native birds.

Conservationists have embarked on an ambitious project to restore kiwi populations to the forested hills that surround the capital Wellington.

As part of the project, a flock of 15 kiwi were coaxed from a sanctuary in New Zealand`s north on Monday, then flown more than 500 kilometres (310 miles) in two light planes to their new home. Project leader Paul Ward said it was a `milestone moment`.

`I never thought we would see kiwi fly. It`s pretty exciting for our kiwi family in Wellington,` he said.

Few New Zealanders have ever seen the fluffy, shy, nocturnal kiwi in the wild.

They vanished from Wellington`s hills around 150 years ago, as predators were introduced and land was cleared for the growing city.

Monday`s kiwi transfer was the first by air, but the Capital Kiwi Project has been releasing adult birds around Wellington since 2022, hoping to re-establish numbers after killing off predators such as stoats and ferrets.-AFP