If the extinct dodo was dumb, its closest relative the Nicobar pigeon may be considered adventurous, after one of the birds native to South East Asia and the South Pacific was found in Western Australia's north.
The Indigenous Bardi Jawi rangers first spotted the colourful, near endangered bird last month at Chile Creek on the Dampier Peninsula in the Kimberley region - far from its usual habitat between India and the Solomon Islands.
Senior ranger Kevin George said there were many sightings of the bright bird before it was captured at a One Arm Point front yard earlier this week.
"We immediately knew it wasn't a native species, but we had no idea how far it had actually come from to get here," he said.
"Following some of our own research, we've been able to identify the species as a Nicobar pigeon, an island dwelling bird.
Nicobar pigeon. Source: Creative Commons: Tomfriedel
"We don't know how the bird got here - whether it flew all the way from Indonesia, India or the Solomons, if it island hopped or came by boat."
The capture was reported to quarantine services and the bird was removed by Department of Agriculture officials.
In 2002, scientists determined through DNA analysis that the Nicobar pigeon was the closest living relative to the dodo.
AAP
