A native wood pigeon known for becoming dazed and clumsy after eating fermented fruit has been named the 2018 bird of the year in New Zealand. Rescue centres have been set up around New Zealand as the birds often fly into windows, garages or fall off trees and hurt themselves.
The kereru, a colourful wood pigeon, has been crowned the winner of the annual public competition that this year saw the likes of Stephen Fry weighing in and intense campaigning by bird lovers across social media, including on Tinder.
New Zealand conservation group Forest & Bird runs the bird of the year campaign to raise awareness for the island nation’s birds, many of which are quite strange looking. The kerer? is the campaign’s 14th winner, and the winner we all deserve.
“They have quite a reputation of being large and clumsy and being a bit of a clown,” Forest & Bird’s Megan Hubscher told the BBC.
The kerer?, also known as k?k? or k?k?pa, is a native wood pigeon endemic to New Zealand’s north and south island. The large bird, around 50 centimetres from beak to tail, is famous around the world for its spectacular flight aerobatics, the ‘whoosh’ of its wings and its complete lack of self-discipline. The bird loves fruit and depending on the season, these fruits might be fermented. Hence, the bird will get drunk.
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