Lankly the pelican has died. He was the longest living resident at Wellington Zoo, after arriving at the zoo in 1978.

The death of a very special bird has left the nation pelican-less.

Lanky, the only pelican in New Zealand and the longest living resident at Wellington Zoo, has been euthanised.

The cheeky bird, who will be remembered for his giant beak and occasional hissing, had been battling arthritis in his ankles for the past few years.

On Monday, the zoo announced that Lanky had been put down, adding it was to their knowledge the only one in New Zealand.

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"Lanky had regular medical examinations and we were able to manage the arthritis in his ankles with pain relief and anti-inflammatories, but his lameness increased over recent months," general manager of animal care Mauritz Basson said.

Lanky was finding it hard to bear weight on his legs, and stopped eating and taking his medication, he said.

"The welfare of our animals is paramount, and the observations showed we were no longer able to sustain his quality of life, so the decision to euthanise Lanky was made in his best interests."

Lanky was an Australian Pelican, a bird with the longest beak of any bird in the world.

He arrived at Wellington Zoo in 1978, and has lived in a pond past the monkey islands for almost 40 years.

The pelican could often be seen swimming in the moat and was often a feature of the Zoo's daily animal talks.

Senior keeper Phil Wisker cared for Lanky for nine years.

"Lanky's favourite food was Kahawai, and he consumed a kilo of fish every day," he said.

"However, he was definitely seen from time to time sneaking food off his neighbours, the capuchin monkeys and spider monkeys, who may not have appreciated his behaviour."

His age made him one of the oldest residents at the zoo.

He came to Wellington after surviving hard times in drought-ridden Adelaide - rescued with three other young wild-born, Lanky was hand-reared at Adelaide Zoo before making the move across the ditch.

The species is commonly found throughout Australia.

PELICAN FACTS

New Zealand had a native Pelican which died out before human colonisation, believed to have been a sub-species of the Australian Pelican.

Another Wellington Zoo pelican named Percy lived until age 62 and made it into the Guinness Book of Records as one of the world's longest living birds.