E koekoe te kōkō, e ketekete te kākā, e kūkū te kererū *
City Vision is campaigning for #KoolKererū this year as it is the perfect urban bird that we all want to see in our gardens and street trees. The ideal combo of chonky and beautiful, Kererū is a bird we are encouraging Auckland Council to create and protect habitat for, with planting programmes and pest-free work.
Bird of the Year 2018, the beloved – and occasionally tipsy – kererū. Occasionally, they fill themselves up with a fair amount of fermented fruit and have been known to fall out of trees. They are one of the only New Zealand birds that eat the whole fruit, which means they scatter seeds wherever they fly. We think #KoolKererū are the perfect contender for Bird of the Century!
Voting starts 9am Monday 30 October and closes 5pm on Sunday 12 November.
Bird of the year/ century is run by Forest and Bird to raise awareness for our native wildlife, their habitats, and the threats they face. Tragically, many of Aotearoa New Zealand’s native species are in danger of becoming extinct, so they need all the recognition they can get.
* The parson bird chatters, the parrot gabbles, the wood pigeon coos. A whakataukī alluding to the diversity that makes the world what it is.