Thousands of people are coming together to bring a rare native bird back to Australia, despite the government saying that there's no way of it returning without facing a grim end.

Millie the Black Kite hid in the Seabourn Sojourn cruise ship during a storm in Broome, NSW, on March 23, before the ship departed en route to Bali.

Now she's stuck there due to Australia's strict import and quarantine laws. 

Millie was found onboard by the ship's captain, Kyriakos Karras, who contacted Australian Native Birds to notify them on the whereabouts of the missing animal.

After landing in Indonesia, Millie spent 16 days in quarantine before being transported to the Bali Bird Park on April 10, where she now remains in captivity. 

Debra and Chris Mitchell, who raised Millie from infancy, have appealed for help to the government as locals petition to get her back to Broome.