She is about to prove she's no chicken but is Whangarei Mayor Sheryl Mai just a Crazy Old Bird or can she really fly?
The question of how well she can wing it will be put to the test when Ms Mai takes a flying leap at this weekend's Russell Birdman Festival.
She will take to the air - and the icy water - as the Papermill's first ever entrant, decked out in a bamboo-framed, bird-world costume which, like her entry, is titled Crazy Old Bird.
![Papermill tutor Kat Batchelor with the costume during its preparation for the big leap. Photo / Supplied](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/TKBABBARN26OVFYLYYOEZGWKAI.jpg?auth=59fdcc985ed1d0d1b85730b7faf490969c86b1725145fee5062fe4573a3fa153&width=16&height=12&quality=70&smart=true)
The reinforced costume had a previous public outing when it was the third prize winning entry in the Northland Bernina Fashion Awards, 2015.