Molly the magpie was voluntarily surrendered to Queensland's Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI) on March 1st.

DESI said it seized the bird as the couple who raised it, Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen, had taken it from the wild and kept it "unlawfully with no permit, licence or authority".

The public backlash to Molly's seizure was immense, with the state premier and even surfing legend Kelly Slater both advocating for Molly's return.

Last week, DESI agreed to return Molly to Ms Wells and Mr Mortensen under strict conditions.

On Monday, the department released a statement saying it had approved a "Specialised licence" and had "Returned Mlly the magpie to a couple who took it as a nestling".

"The decision to return Molly has been made in accordance with the Nature Conservation Act 1992, following extensive legal advice," the statement said.

Ms Wells and Mr Mortensen said they were looking forward to "life settling back down to normal very soon" in a statement released on Monday through their publicist.

"We have been visualising and looking forward to this day for a while," the statement said.

"It was a very exciting reunion at the department this morning for us with a little cry of happiness from Molly.

"When we arrived home the excited wiggly bottoms were in full force and a few excited noises from Molly."

Conditional return:

Prior to Molly's seizure by wildlife authorities, Ms Wells and Mr Mortensen amassed hundreds of thousands of social media followers through accounts promoting the bird's relationship with their pet dog, Peggy.

The couple also secured a book deal with Penguin and sold merchandise featuring photographs of Molly and Peggy.

In an interview prior to Molly's return, Ms Wells and Mr Mortensen admitted that they had profited from Molly being a part of their family.

"My intention was not to make money," Ms Wells said.

"We could have made a lot of money … we've been contacted by a huge amount of people saying we could do this and that — but it's not about that."

Mr Mortensen agreed.

Molly's return to the couple is conditional on them receiving "no ongoing commercial gain from the bird or its image".

Above | 'Molly' with her humans, Ms Wells & Mr Mortensen and 'Peggy' & her daughter 'Ruby' | Right : 'Peggy' & 'Molly' napping..