The star of this social media hoax was a mythical green antlered bird, the ‘reineagle’. Photos of the reineagle were leaked online in the lead-up to the release of Muskoka Brewery’s Legendary Oddity beer, which features the bird on its can. Images feature a number of recognisable landmarks in the Muskoka region, and in the tradition of hoax imagery are low-resolution and extremely blurry.
Locals used #MuskokaOddity to report their own sightings and theories on Twitter, and prizes were awarded to individuals who figured out the ruse ahead of time. The campaign was covered by local tv and radio, with one respected bird expert confidently identifying the bird as a greater horned owl.
