Battle of the Birds
New Zealand Forest & Bird launched their annual Bird of the Year competition during the recent 2010 Conservation Week.
The Forest & Bird blog has been publishing messages from each competing bird’s campaign manager and there are some interesting tidbits of information like; did you know the Grey Warbler is the weight of two 20c coins or that to be classified as a Native bird you need to have flown to New Zealand under your own steam and to have set up a family here, like our newest Natives, the Barn Owls in Northland, have recently accomplished.
This is a great opportunity to have a bit of fun and can easily be expanded into a classroom or homeschool exercise on campaigning for your own candidate for Bird of the Year! Nothing like a bit of healthy competition to get the research muscles moving and then a bit of creative writing to persuade your audience that your choice is the Bird of the Year!
Voting closes on 13th October at 5pm. So don’t miss out!
Oh, and my pick for this year? The Morepork, or Ruru, for it’s stealthy flight, sharp hearing, and excellent night vision.
Image borrowed from The Nobles in New Zealand blog.
