Wren rocks New Zealand’s beauty contest for birds

WELLINGTON—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 allo…

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