And the Winner Is . . .
More than 200,000 people cast their vote so that Great Britain could finally claim its national bird.
It took them 308 years, but finally, the people have chosen. On May 7—the same day as the British General Elections—an impressive 224,438 voters posted their pick for Great Britain’s first official national bird. Voters opted from a list of 10 species—winnowed down over six months from a pool of 60. Those finalists included the European Robin, Barn Owl, Eurasian Blackbird, Blue Tit, Hen Harrier, Common Kingfisher, Mute Swan, Red Kite, Atlantic Puffin, and Eurasian Wren.
It was much ado over a predictable outcome. The results, released yesterday, show that the robin is the clear winner, capturing 34 percent of the vote. The Barn Owl and blackbird took second and third place respectively with 12 and 11 percent. Coming in last, with only 5 percent, is the comical yet lovable Atlantic Puffin.
British ornithologist and founder of the “Vote National Bird” campaign, David Lindo, says the landslide win is hardly a surprise. Britons consider the robin to be “the essential British bird,” he says. “You’d be foolish not to say it’s our favorite.”
History agrees. Back in 1961, an elite group of U.K. birders decided amongst themselves that the beloved robin should be the national mascot. That vote was neither official nor public—but nevertheless, the robin’s position as top bird remained unchallenged for more than 50 years. Now, British bird lovers have justified its reign.
Unlike his predecessors, Lindo chose to make the vote public, mobilizing Britons with the help of a vibrant social media campaign—and a Rolls Royce. “We covered it with ‘Vote National Bird’ livery, strapped a pair of loud hailers on the boot, and drove it around the streets of London, imploring the public to vote,” Lindo says. The campaign even triggered a national betting match over which bird would ultimately triumph.
Britons made their allegiances clear on Twitter, too. Avid tweeter YOLOBirder printed “wren-diagram” and harrier t-shirts to spread (biased) support for the vote. Those who weren’t for #teamharrier, could just piss off.
On the other hand, the campaign did raise the ire of a few Britons, who sent their uncensored opinions straight to Lindo. “A few unfriendly emails were in defense of the robin or the wren,” Lindo says. “I think people just don’t want their idealistic views corrupted.”
Bird squabbles aside, Lindo thinks the campaign went beyond simply crowning a national symbol. “It’s all about getting people thinking about birds and wildlife, and as far as I’m concerned, that job is done.” The vote successfully drew attention to two threatened birds of prey: the endangered Hen Harrier, which only has a few breeding pairs left in England as a result of hunting and poaching; and the Red Kite, which recently returned from the brink of extinction thanks to dedicated conservation programs. “The fact that the Hen Harrier and Red Kite made it to the top 10 says a lot,” Lindo says. “If this vote had been conducted in the 1950s I think it would have been a very different outcome.”
Lindo is hopeful that the robin will one day be transformed into a cultural emblem, similar to the Bald Eagle. “I’m hoping the sheer noise that we created will be enough to make things happen.” Now, the robin can join in with its cheery victory song.