MarketWatch: Britain’s National Bird Should be Awesome, Not Ordinary

By SIMON CONSTABLE

When it comes to creative ideas, the right execution means so much. That’s why Britain’s“Vote for Britain’s National Bird” campaign is so irksome.

A fantastic opportunity has been missed through a startling lack of imagination.

The vote is now down to a shortlist of birds. They are OK, as far as they go, which actually isn’t very far. The list is as follows: Barn owl, blackbird, blue tit, hen harrier, kingfisher, mute swan, puffin, red kite, robin and wren. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen most of these wonderful creatures in the wild myself.

There’s the problem, because that fact alone — that most of the birds are a longstanding part of the domestic fauna, just doesn’t fit with the rest of Britain’s national animals.

Take, for instance, the lion and the unicorn, respectively the national animals of England and Scotland; They are rarely if ever seen loping across Britain’s fields. Likewise the Welsh mascot, the dragon, is rarely, if ever, seen flying around. See original story here.

Photo by Rhii Photography on Unsplash