The exclusion of a parrot from the beauty pageant sparked controversy

in New Zealandvote in a contestbird The year that started on Monday angered bird enthusiasts. Reason: The organizers decided to exclude the kakapo, a night parrot from the competition Endangered ; As I mentioned before GEO . magazine.

The kakapo, better known as a parrot owl that looks like a bowling ball with green feathers, had already won the 2008 and 2020 editions. Reached the final in 2021 and unable to fly with its feathers too short, the bird was still the favorite in the competition this year, and it will be pronounced Judgment on October 31.

Raising awareness of the condition of other birds

In the face of such pedigree, organizers nonetheless preferred to give lesser-known birds a chance this year. “No decision has been made to remove kakapo from this year’s shortlist,” said Eileen Rikers, a spokeswoman for Forest & Bird, which is organizing the event. “We know how much people love kakapo” but the competition “aims to raise awareness of all indigenous New Zealand birds, many of which are in severe distress,” she explained.

“We want the competition to remain fresh and interesting, and to share the spotlight a little bit,” stressed the spokesperson for the association, for which the competition wouldn’t be what it is “without a few pesky feathers.”

Really controversial

This isn’t the first time the Bird of the Year competition has sparked controversy. Irregularities have marred previous editions, be it a suspicious number of Russian votes or apparent attempts by Australian neighbors to rig the competition. This year, Facebook pages are defending Takahi, which fans have described as a “chubby swamp chicken,” and leafy kea, two species that are in “big problem,” according to Forest and Bird.

But as voting begins, kakapo supporters online are insisting the charismatic parrot ban will not pass. However, the kakapo expert and representative of the New Zealand Department of Conservation believe it is important to allow other species to compete for the coveted title. Because “anything that can inspire the public to get involved in conservation is a good thing,” says specialist Louise Porter, who notes that “New Zealand has a lot of wonderful birds, but unfortunately, most of them are ‘vulnerable’.”

Such is the case with the kakapo, although the species has just had its best breeding season in fifty years, going from 197 individuals to 252. The kakapo is unique to New Zealand and can weigh up to four kilograms.