Rehoming pigeon: kererū returns to hatchery 24 years after flying the coop

Pidge' disappeared from Rainbow Springs in New Zealand in 1996 and was not seen again before his return in August

He might not have had the best homing instincts. But a New Zealand native pigeon - or kerer - named Pidge made it back, eventually, to the place of his hatching after 24 years missing in the wild.

Pidge, who was hand-reared at Rainbow Springs - a wildlife and nature park in Rotorua, on New Zealand's North Island - disappeared in 1996 and was not seen again before his return in August. That would make the bird, identified by a numbered band on his leg, 29 years old; most references list kerer lifespans as between 15 and 25 years.