A curious, sock-swallowing Aussie has undergone a procedure to remove the offending footwear.

The Aussie in question is one of Wellington Zoo's Emus, named Georgia.

According to the zoo, the small green sock takes its lost property finds "to a new level".

A zoo visitor alerted zoo staff that Georgia had "scooped up" the sock mistaking it for a meal late last week.

"Emus generally eat a variety of plants and insects, and play an important role in seed dispersal – but a sock is pretty unusual," zoo vet Lisa Argilla said.

"Like many animals, Emus are curious birds and will explore new items in their environment.

"Unfortunately, sometimes this includes things which are unhealthy for them to eat."

Scans showed the sock had made it to her digestive tract and, while it was not blocking food, it was on its way to her intestines where it could have caused a blockage.

The vet team performed an endoscopy over the weekend to remove the offending green sock and Georgia was now recovering, and eating, well.

The missing sock was available for collection at the zoo but came with a warning: "It might require some laundering after its misadventure."