Alpine, the world's oldest takahe, is dead at 27.
The bird, in fragile health and not up to surgery for a leg infection, was euthanased yesterday at Te Anau Wildlife Park.
"She will be greatly missed," Department of Conservation Te Anau area manager Reg Kemper said tonight. "She was the world's oldest-known takahe and really was the grand dame of the population."
Takahe, flightless and brightly coloured with a large red beak, are among the world's rarest birds.
They were thought to be extinct until rediscovered in the remote Murchison Mountains in the southwest of the South Island in 1948.
Alpine pecked her way out of her egg shell in a wildlife park garage in 1982 after her egg was taken from the Murchison Mountains for captive rearing.
DOC takahe ranger Linda Kilduff said Alpine signified the start of the takahe recovery programme.
"She was one of the pioneer takahe hand-raised while the techniques of artificial incubation and using takahe hand puppets to avoid human imprinting were being developed."
Ms Kilduff said the success of hatching and raising Alpine led to the opening of the specialist takahe rearing unit now known as the Burwood Bush takahe rearing unit.
"The captive rearing techniques developed with Alpine demonstrated the potential of active management and as a result greatly improving the survival chances of the species."
During her breeding years Alpine - named by pupils from Te Anau School - contributed significantly to the recovery programme.
Her progeny totalled about 15 birds. She outlived all other takahe, including two other pioneer takahe. In the wild takahe usually live to about 12-13 years.
There are now about 230 takahe - 100 in the Murchison Mountains, 100 on predator-free islands and another 30 at Burwood Bush.
Twenty-two takahe chicks were reared this summer breeding season, a record.
