March 28, 2024

News Collective

Complete New Zealand News World

Bats selected as New Zealand 'Bird of the Year'

Bats selected as New Zealand ‘Bird of the Year’

These native bats are part of the biodiversity of New Zealand, but many are unaware of their existence.

The bat has been selected as the ‘Best Bird of the Year’ at an annual competition in New Zealand to raise awareness about rare and endangered species.

According to the Forest & Bird organization responsible for the competition, it is a long-tailed bat (‘Chalinolobus tuberculatus’) or ‘pekapeka-tou-roa’ (in Maori). Online voting peaked on October 31, with a total of 58,561 “verified votes” recorded from 100 countries.

‘Pekapeka-tou-roa’ received 7,031 votes, while the parrots of the same type received the most votes with 4,072 points. Forest & Bird insists this is the first time they have chosen to include this “native mammal” in the competition. He noted from the organization that New Zealanders “clearly want their own bat”.

These local bats are part of New Zealand’s biodiversity, but many are unaware of their existence, and Forest & Bird assures that “there is no attempt at electoral fraud”.

However, the results of New Zealand’s ‘Bird of the Year’ 2021 have caused ridicule and criticism on social media, reminding us that “a bat is not a bird”. Some Netizens have called the contest “a hoax” and called for a recount.

Get instant information on your cell phone. Join the Diario Primicia group on WhatsApp via the following link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CHcqdWDuhmXIg4YBWvjRiE

We are also @DiarioPrimicia in Telegram, join here: https://t.me/diarioprimicia

See also  New Zealand's plan for the development of women's rugby