ＮＺ鳥コンテスト、イワサザイが優勝　カカポ外しで物議も

【ウェリントンＡＦＰ＝時事】ニュージーランドで３１日、恒例の鳥の人気投票「バード・オブ・ザ・イヤー」の結果が発表された。今年は山地に生息する小型鳥「イワサザイ」が予想外の優勝を果たした。（写真はカカポ（フクロウオウム）。資料写真）
　マオリ語で「ピワウワウ」と呼ばれるイワサザイは、体重約２０グラムのニュージーランド固有種。下馬評は高くなかったが、コガタペンギンやケア（ミヤマオウム）といった人気の鳥を破り栄冠に輝いた。
　イワサザイのファンはフェイスブックページを作り、投票を呼び掛けていた。
　バード・オブ・ザ・イヤーをめぐっては、２０２１年にコウモリが候補入りし、優勝までするなど、ここ数年は物議を醸してきた。今年は他の鳥にもチャンスを与えるため過去２度優勝のカカポ（フクロウオウム）が候補から外され、非難の声が上がっていた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/11/01-14:08）

A tiny mountain-dwelling wren was the surprise winner Monday of New Zealand's controversial bird of the year competition, which even had Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in a flap.
The piwauwau rock wren punched above its 20-gram weight, flying under the radar to win the annual contest ahead of popular fellow native contenders, the little penguin and the kea.
Fans of the wren set up a Facebook page to help the outsider soar up the final rankings when the fortnight-long poll closed Monday.
It's not the size, it's the underbird you vote for that counts, wrote one supporter.
The annual competition ruffled voters' feathers in years past after a native bat was allowed to enter, then won, the 2021 title.
There was also outcry this year after the flightless kakapo -- a twice previous winner dubbed the world's fattest parrot -- was barred from running to give others a chance.
The annual avian beauty contest run by environmental group Forest and Bird is popular with New Zealanders, including the country's top politicians.
The leader of the opposition, Christopher Luxon, took to Twitter -- where else? -- over the weekend to endorse the wrybill, a river bird with a distinctive bent beak.
On Monday, New Zealand's prime minister was momentarily ruffled live on air when asked if she had voted for her favourite bird.
No I haven't yet -- you can't just chuck a controversial question at me without a warning!, Ardern said with a smile.
New Zealand's leader revealed she will always and forever be loyal to the black petrel, which only breeds on the North Island but can fly as far as Ecuador, and she hopes the 2023 competition will be its year.