Baby Parrot Rejected by Parents for Being Ugly

Ugly dogs are gaining popularity thanks to contests and publicity, and now it looks like unattractive birds may be having a moment too. Meet Nelson, a recently hatched kea parrot who would be tough competition in an ugly bird contest. According to the (U.K.) Daily Mail, this unusually adorable baby bird has been rejected by his parents because of his looks.

Nelson was born a month ago at the Bergzoo in Germany. Out of the three eggs his mother laid, Nelson was the only baby who hatched and survived. Yet the new parents still turned poor Nelson away.

The hatchling has been under the zoo's loving care, kept in an incubator for the the past four weeks. Now out in the world, Nelson is still receiving 24-hour attention from zoo workers.