Forest & Bird, an independent conservation organization, organized its annual Bird of The Year Award.
Highlights:
The Pekapeka-tou-roa, a New Zealand native bat species, took up the annual bird of the year award in 2021.
Despite not being a bird, the species was declared the winner of the competition.
Long-tailed bat is another name for Pekapeka-tou-roa. It is one of two land animals found in New Zealand.
Forest and Bird named this bat to their Bird of the Year list because both bats and native birds are endangered by the same issues such as habitat loss, predators, and climate change.