Should we love bats more? One from New Zealand has just won a bird of the year competition. But fans say it is about time we celebrated the little mammals.
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Shock as bat is named bird of the year
Should we love bats more? One from New Zealand has just won a bird of the year competition. But fans say it is about time we celebrated the little mammals.
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What's happening?
Every year, New Zealand holds a competition to find the country's favourite bird. It is very popular. But this year, a bird did not win. It was a bat instead.
Find out more
The bat is called a Pekapeka-tou-roa. It is the same size as a human finger. It can fly at 60 km per hour.
Lots of people are pleased that the bat won. Not many people know that the bats exist. Fans say it will help tell everyone about them.
This is a good sign because it could help save them from going extinctA species that no longer has any living members..
But not everyone likes bats very much.
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Should we love bats more?
Some say
No. Bats are nasty and dangerous. Vampire bats suck your blood! And other species can carry diseases and spread them to humans.
Others think
Yes! They are amazing. They are the only mammals that fly. They use their ears to see where they are going. And they help the environment by pollinating flowers and eating insects that damage crops.
Keywords
Extinct - A species that no longer has any living members.
Shock as bat is named bird of the year
Glossary
Extinct - A species that no longer has any living members.