A rare Regent Honeyeater has proven there’s no place like home, returning to Chiltern after a 540-kilometre round trip to South Gippsland.
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The captive-bred bird, named Yellow Yellow, was released into the Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park in April 2015.
Yellow Yellow, named for his coloured leg bands, was sighted all the way in Outtrim, South Gippsland in November 2016.
Birdlife Australia’s Regent Honeyeater Recovery Co-ordinator Dean Ingwersen said Yellow Yellow’s adventure was record breaking.
“This 540km journey sets a new benchmark for the longest confirmed distance travelled by a release bird,” he said.
Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning’s Senior Biodiversity Officer Glen Johnson said Yellow Yellow’s return was fantastic.
“It marks the fourth bird from the 2015 release that we've recently recorded back in the park,” he said.
“Yellow Yellow's journey demonstrates the potential for many more past released birds to be out there waiting to be identified.
“We'd greatly appreciate everyone keeping their eyes and ears open.”
The Regent Honeyeater is a threatened species, people can report sightings to Birdlife Australia with location, time and leg band colour details.
A volunteer member of a monitoring project recently identified Yellow Yellow in the Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, he has been seen actively courting female birds.
Digital journalists with The Border Mail.
Digital journalists with The Border Mail.
