Our national bird

I would vote for the robin, it's everywhere and denotes our bulldog spirit!We have two or three in the garden as regular visitors and they don't fight, nor do they scare away the crowds of bluetits, but they are cheeky little things.

Like Jingle, I can't really see the point, but pushed I'd say the blackbird, partly because I could swear that one that wakes me up early in the morning every summer speaks broad Yorkshire (like me), even though we live in Northamptonshire

I go for the Robin, everyone recognises this bird, how many children listen to blackbirds or care about old coinage?

On reflection, Anniebach, almost any country I've ever visited could also lay claim to the pigeon!

Anya, I think the bird you asked about is the Pukeko.

The threepenny bit had the thrift on it; I think I saw it on the new design for the one pound coin the other day.

Oops!
I'm not quite that old........

The wren was on the farthing - the threepenny bit had something like a dandelion or daisy on the back.

Definitely the wren, I remember it on the thre'penny bit !

then the pigeon annodomini , or the grouse, it is very popular with some !

I remember you saying at St David's Day Anya - have you put the recipe on GN?

When I have finished my diet I will make one as a treat! (the trouble is with pastry, cake, cheese etc I could scoff the lot!).

Rose (sorry to go off piste) I make a very tasty Welsh quiche with loads of leeks and Caerphilly.

Absent what are those birds that wander all over the place in NZ? They were about the size of a large chicken, long legs, liked to walk a lot and has blue on their chest, if my memory serves me correctly?

plus the Welsh have a national vegetable which seems a bit OTT IMHO

but it means we can make a national soup!

A blackbird or songthrush.

Or what about a woodpecker, pecking away at the national tree?

Anniebach, surely the bird that fits your description has to be the uniquitous pigeon.

The Mistle Thrush. I haven't seen one for ages - quite worried about it.

Which bird is seen throughout the UK, tip of Scotland to Cornwall , N I and Wales ? Not as in garden watch , not everyone is a bird watcher

I vote for a blackbird. Beautiful song.

I have now looked at the short list and see that the bluetit is listed. I get a lot of pleasure from these pretty little birds at my bird feeder and as the chaffinch doesn't get a nomination, I back the bluetit.

My favourite is the chaffinch - omnipresent and very perky. There are few times or places where you can't see and hear them.

Seagulls Jen? We even have them here as far away from the sea as you can get.

At my daughter's secondary school they have to hire a Bird of Prey handier who flies his bird every break time and lunch time to keep the seagulls away. Health and Safety in case the guano fall on one of of the pupils and they get an infection from it.

No, it's not April 1st yet.

Very few water birds can be seen everywhere in the UK. I do not think there are any owls that can be seen everywhere, either.

I voted for the blackbird. One day last weekend I walked along the cycle track and saw about half a dozen pairs in 500 metres. They are instantly recognisable, in appearance, movement and song.

Put that way- fair enough. It is just that the Kiwi in NZ, or the Cardinal in Arizona, etc- make sense as they are so frequent there and not in other places.

It doesn't have to make sense. The idea is to vote for "the bird that best represents all that is great about this nation."

What's wrong with that?

kiwi makes total sense- but all the other birds mentioned are just and possibly more numerous in other parts of Europe- robin, wren, blackbird, etc, etc- so how could anyone be UK national bird? Makes no sense.