Owaka artist Marie Reid captured sharp photographic evidence of yet another untagged native bush parrot while visiting her mother in Kaitangata, and said it even landed on her head.
There were also suburban sightings of kākā this winter in the Catlins, Milton and Queenstown.
Kākā are highly vulnerable to predation, particularly by stoats, and Department of Conservation Murihiku ranger Sean Jacques said the birds were probably spillover from Fiordland and West Coast populations recovering after decades of predator control.
"Winter forest can be a hungry place and movement to milder lowlands is probably food-driven [and] natural wandering habits of juveniles," he said.
"They will readily find food in the wider landscape. With luck some may remain to breed."
He advised against feeding kākā as this could spread disease and encourage nuisance behaviour from these relatives of the kea.
