WELLINGTON (AFP) – Five extinct species have been included on the ballot to find New Zealand’s most popular feathered friend as competition organisers hope to draw attention to endangered birds.
The annual avian beauty contest has proven contentious over the years. The kakapo couldn’t run in last year’s competition. The twice former winner was dropped by organisers to help less popular species have a shot at the title.
Feathers were also ruffled when a native bat was allowed to enter, then flew off with the 2021 title.
This year, competition organisers Forest & Bird will celebrate their centenary by crowning New Zealand’s most popular feathered friend in the last 100 years.
The environmental group has put 75 species on the ticket for Bird of the Century, of which a quintet are thought to be extinct in New Zealand.
