Angela Merkel was on the campaign trail on Friday, two days before Germans go to the polls to elect a new parliament and therefore its replacement.
The 67-year-old is retiring after almost 16 years as German Chancellor, but she is still campaigning for her centre-right Christian Democratic Union party.
On Friday, she made a surprise visit to the northern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where she visited a bird park in the town of Marlow.
There, while holding bird food, she posed with colorful Australian rainbow lorikeets.