The bird, a Lesser Yellowlegs or Tringa flavipes, was found recently by park rangers in Charlesworth Reserve, a wetland next to Humphreys Drive which was created by the Council especially for wading birds.

The yellowlegs is brownish-grey, with pale undersides and bright orange-yellow longish legs – hence its common name. This one was found tagging along with a small flock of Pied Stilts that have a breeding colony beside the Estuary.

“The bird is only about half the size of a Pied Stilt, which makes its journey even more remarkable,” says park ranger Andrew Crossland. “To reach Christchurch it has either flown across the Pacific islands from Alaska or has crossed over to North Asia from Alaska and probably flown southwards through Japan, the Philippines, New Guinea and Northern Australia.”