Bird of the year winner is just batty

NEW Zealand has awarded its annual bird of the year title to a bat.

The long-tailed bat, about the size of a thumb, won the poll after being included by organisers to highlight its critically endangered status.

Critics on Twitter called the result a ‘total farce’ and said the competition was ‘batty’.

The Forest & Bird society, which runs the poll, said: ‘A vote for bats is also a vote for predator control, habitat restoration, and climate action to protect our bats and their feathered neighbours.’

The bat beat a flightless parrot to take the title.