Flight delayed by penguin on the runway at New Zealand airport

Jan. 24 (UPI) -- A plane was delayed at New Zealand's Wellington International Airport due to a well-dressed hazard on the runway: a penguin.

The airport said on social media that the "unusual little visitor" wandered onto the tarmac, leading airport staff scrambling to get the flightless bird to safety.

An airport spokesperson said an Air Chathams flight had been preparing to take off when the blue penguin, or kororā, wandered out onto the runway.

"The pilot and passengers patiently waited while Wellington Airport staff raced out to collect and help the visitor," the post said. "Our runway sensors were reading 50 degrees [122 degrees Fahrenheit] at the time, so it's no wonder they weren't particularly happy!"

Jack Howarth, the airport's wildlife officer, took the penguin to the Wellington Zoo to be checked out.

Zoo veterinarians said the penguin was a 6-week-old fledgling

"Though thin, hungry, and a little underweight, the fledgling was otherwise in good health," a zoo spokesperson told Stuff.co.nz.

The penguin was put on a weight-gain diet by veterinarians and will be cared for until its feathers become waterproof, officials said.