Bird Of The Week (4)

Voting for the eagerly anticipated Bird of the Year competition or Te Manu Rongonui o Te Tau, as they call it in New Zealand, has opened and as usual it has ruffled a few feathers. Having been won by a bat last year, the red-hot favourite, the kākāpō, has been removed from the ballot paper.

The fat, flightless, nocturnal parrot came out on top in 2008 and 2020 but will not be able to solicit votes this year, organisers, Forest and Bird, fearing that its popularity will divert attention from other, less charismatic birds. Indeed, the theme of the competition is aimed at highlighting the more underappreciated and often overlooked members of New Zealand’s bird population.

Voting closes on October 30th and even that has not been without issues. Votes are restricted to New Zealand residents after allegations a couple of years ago that outsiders, mainly from Australia, had flocked to record their support for the kākāpō.

To find out more, follow the link:

https://www.birdoftheyear.org.nz/

I look forward to the result.