Wellington: The New Zealand falcon, known locally as the kārearea, has been named the winner of the country’s annual Bird of the Year competition, securing 21 percent of the valid votes.
Renowned for its speed and agility, the kārearea can reach up to 200 km/h in a dive, making it a formidable hunter in New Zealand’s dense forests. Despite its prowess, the species stays at risk, with only an estimated 5,000 to 8,000 birds left in the wild.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the competition, which aims to raise awareness about the nation’s native species facing threats such as habitat loss, climate change, and introduced predators.
Each of the 73 birds in the running had a volunteer campaign manager, using memes, reels, and hand-drawn posters to rally votes. Nicola Toki, chief executive of conservation group Forest & Bird, which organises the contest, highlighted that the top 10 birds in this year’s poll ‘matches the statistics exactly – 80 percent of them are in trouble.’
Two species in the contest, the kākāpō and the black robin, or karure are classified as ‘nationally critical,’ with fewer than 300 individuals remaining. This year’s poll attracted a record-breaking 75,000 voters. As part of the election-style campaign, birds even participated in debates, with campaign managers presenting their case for why their candidate deserved the public’s vote.
As well as earning the title of Bird of the Year, the kārearea will be celebrated in a new waiata, a Māori-language song set to be released to the public. The runner-up birds were the kea, with 12,506 votes, and the black robin, which received 11,726 votes. Last year, the black robin narrowly lost to the shy yellow-eyed penguin, the hoiho.
Other notable contenders included the kākāpō, the world’s heaviest parrot, which has previously won the title twice and was removed from the 2022 contest to give other birds a chance. Newly successful competitors this year included the takahē, once thought extinct, and the ruru, a small native owl.
In addition to voting, nature enthusiasts could also play Birdle, a Bird-themed version of the popular web game Wordle. The Bird of the Year competition has drawn international attention in recent years, particularly after a campaign by comedian John Oliver to promote the endangered pūteketeke, which included dressing as the bird on his show and erecting billboards in New Zealand, Japan, France, and the UK.
Past editions have seen controversies over voter fraud, foreign interference, and unexpected winners, including a bat in 2021. New Zealand’s celebration of birdlife is not unique, with Australia currently running its own Bird of the Year competition, continuing through October.
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