The Formosan blue magpie and the mikado pheasant have been short-listed as finalists in the quest to name a national bird following the conclusion of a four-month-long online referendum, organizers announced yesterday.
A signature campaign will begin in the legislature today to promote a final decision by legislators.
"About 1 million votes were collected from across the nation and 520,000 went for the Formosan Blue Magpie," Simon Liao (廖世卿) of the International Taiwan Birding Association (ITBA) told a press conference.
The poll took place between Jan. 1 and last Sunday.
The "Vote for Taiwan's National Bird" referendum was jointly organized by the Taiwan Sustainable Ecology Society, the Taiwan International Birding Association, Democratic Progressive Party legislators Tien Chiu-chin (
The four candidates were the Swinhoe's pheasant, the Formosan blue magpie, the Taiwan tit and the mikado pheasant.
The Formosan blue magpie -- known locally as the long-tailed mountain lady -- and the mikado pheasant won 520,000 votes and 280,000 votes respectively, beating the other two candidates, the organizers said.
Using the image of its national bird, Taiwan will be able to highlight its unique features and achievements in wildlife conservation, she said.
Both the Formosan blue magpie and the mikado pheasant are endemic to Taiwan.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan
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