The country of New Zealand has crowned an overly-fluffy, drunk, and adorably clumsy species of pigeon its bird of the year.
Known as the the kererū or wood pigeon, the bird received the most votes in the country’s annual Forest & Bird’s annual Bird of the Year competition.
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While it’s as cute as it is tubby, the wood pigeon is also known for scoffing down fermented fruit, which often renders it slightly drunk.
And yes, it makes for YouTube gold.
The campaign, which also spawned a Twitter account dedicated to the bird’s endearing qualities, took advantage of its sheer size, and drunk uncle tendencies to propel the bird into meme folklore.
Vote for our w i d e oi: https://t.co/I4Mc79m2XT #teamkererū #kerecrew #birdoftheyear ᴘʜᴏᴛᴏ ᴄʀᴇᴅɪᴛ: ᴛᴏɴʏ sᴛᴏᴅᴅᴀʀᴅ
pic.twitter.com/y53Pz1zs6h — Vote Kererū
#BirdoftheYear 2018 (@Kereru4PM) 3 October 2018
VOTE KERERU! Because it loves food even more than you do.https://t.co/H67w86qL07 pic.twitter.com/y7YPmdyMpZ
— Ms Fish (@faiako) 3 October 2018
Remember, before you grab a hearty (( bërrië )) lunch today, lock in your vote for the Kererū for #BirdOfTheYear! #teamkererū #kerecrew VOTE FOR BIG BOI HERE: https://t.co/I4Mc79DEmt pic.twitter.com/NtUjebIJiz
— Vote Kererū
#BirdoftheYear 2018 (@Kereru4PM) 2 October 2018
While it may all seem in jest, the Bird of the Year competition aims to raise awareness for the island’s native birds and their threats.
While the kererū isn’t facing many, Forest & Bird does suggest that the “fate of many forests” is linked to the kererū’s love of fruit, the seeds of which it scatters through droppings. It’s also one of the only birds in the island’s ecosystem that can scoff the larger berries, which basically means its superpower is eating.
The competition overall received some 48 000 votes this year, while the kererū flew away with 5800 and a belly full of the internet’s admiration.
Feature image: Forest & Bird
