LANGUAGE-learning platform Duolingo is facing a deluge of criticism after unveiling its latest app icon.

The service offers guided lessons in more than 40 languages including Spanish, French, and German.

It is best known for its green owl mascot, Duo, who appears in ads and memes across the internet. Duo features prominently in the logo, wearing a calm and cheery expression.

But the popular app quietly unveiled new logos yesterday featuring bloated, distorted versions of the signature green owl.

Duo sports red eyes, a sweaty brow, and a snotty beak in the app tile, appearing stricken with the flu.

In an iPhone widget, the bird is swollen and downcast. Another widget proclaims "Tap to revive!" with a graphic of Duo lying on his back, presumably deceased.

Netizens abruptly flocked to

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