On May 7 a major election is concluded in the U.K. No, this isn’t the General Election (which falls on the same day) and where the U.K. population decide if they want another five tortuous years of David (“call me Dave”) Cameron. This round of voting is slightly different.
From today votes can be cast in an online poll, with the aim to choose what will become Britain’s first national bird. Britain does not currently have a national bird, unlike many other nations.
The vote has been spearheaded by ornithologist David Lindo, who has selected ten representative birds and he has organised a poll on his website. The poll closes on May 7.
The original list of birds was 60-odd. The 10 selected for consideration are:
Mute swan
Red kite
Hen harrier
Puffin
Barn owl
Kingfisher
Wren
Robin
Blackbird
Blue tit
Of the list, the most common bird is the blackbird, with some 15 million in the U.K. Sparrows and starlings are present in higher numbers but these more populous birds have not made the short-list.
Discussing his reasons for the poll with BBC News, Mr Lindo, said: “I want to encourage the great British public to vote for the bird that best represents all that is great about this nation.”
So, which bird should win? It is generally expected that the robin will win. Indeed some members of the British public think that the robin is already the national bird. But is this too obvious a choice?
Furthermore, should each country in Britain have a national bird? Keen readers of political geography will note the use of the word “Britain” rather than the U.K. here, for the national bird may not extend to Northern Ireland (just to pause, this is in reference to the “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland” which is the “U.K.”, rather than “Britain”, which is England, Scotland and Wales.)
Some say that birds are already associated with the different countries: with England, it is the robin; with Wales, the red kite is often seen as symbolic of the valleys; and in Scotland, the golden eagle has a close association.
My vote is for the puffin, for reasons I’m not entirely sure apart from it was an imprint of Penguin books (a range of books for children) and it sort of elicits some childhood memory. Puffins have predominantly black or black and white plumage, a stocky build, and large beaks. Before the breeding season they have colourful bills. The short wings of the puffin are adapted for swimming with a flying technique under water.
Which bird will win? The robin will be odd-on favourite. Ed Hutchings, a bird writer, told The Daily Telegraph: “It’s invaded our national psyche, and since the 19th century it’s been on Christmas cards and stamps. Plus, it’s everywhere. On the continent, robins are shy woodland birds, but here they will perch on the end of your garden spade.”
While robins are pretty and adorn many a Christmas card they can be quite aggressive and are also somewhat solitary creatures. I won’t be too disappointed if the robin triumphs but I think there are stronger candidates.
