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Papal Seagull, harbinger of new pope, thrills Internet

Eyes weren't just glued to the chimney of the Sistine Chapel in anticipation of the white smoke signaling that a new pope has been elected on Wednesday. There was a character to keep everyone's rapt attention: A seagull.Perched on the chimney, the bird quickly became a social media sensation as the #PapalSeagull hashtag trended. Each appearance of the bird was documented with a wave of tweets. Som
Bird
Today

Eyes weren't just glued to the chimney of the Sistine Chapel in anticipation of the white smoke signaling that a new pope has been elected on Wednesday. There was a character to keep everyone's rapt attention: A seagull.

Perched on the chimney, the bird quickly became a social media sensation as the #PapalSeagull hashtag trended. Each appearance of the bird was documented with a wave of tweets. Some wondered if the bird was a spy of sorts, others contemplated booking it for a news show, many gasped as it defended its resting spot from another avian.

Before long, @PapalSeagull was tweeting its own somewhat crass thoughts on the pontification. (And so was @Sistine_Seagull and @PopeSeagull and ... )

But in the end, as white smoke poured from the chimney, the world lost track of Twitter's latest feathered darling, and turned its attention instead to the papal window. (Hence @PapalWindow ... )

Warning: Some fake tweets may make you groan.

Click here to see how the online world isreacting to the news of the new pope.

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