In brief
The New Zealand falcon, or kārearea, has won the annual Bird of the Year title with 21% of the vote. This year's competition, marking its 20th anniversary, aimed to raise awareness about endangered native species, highlighting that 80% of the top ten birds are in trouble. The falcon is skilled at hunting and faces risks with fewer than 8,000 birds remaining. The campaign attracted over 75,000 voters, showcasing the ongoing conservation challenges in New Zealand.
The New Zealand falcon has been crowned the winner of the country's annual Bird of the Year competition, taking 21% of the valid votes. The high-speed hunter, which goes by the Māori name the kārearea, is capable of reaching 200km/h in a dive, making them adept at hunting in the dense New Zealand forests. They are also at risk, with just 5,000 to 8,000 of them left.This year marks the 20th anniversary of the hotly-contested race, which seeks to raise awareness of the country's many native species considered to be in danger. Each one of the 73 birds in the running this year had a volunteer campaign manager, who sought to win over voters with memes, reels and hand-drawn posters.Behind the memes and mayhem is a serious message. This year's top 10 manu matches the statistics exactly – 80% of them are in trouble, says Nicola Toki, chief executive of conservation group Forest & Bird, which organised the poll. Ms Toki added that two of this year's contestants, the kākāpō and karure black robin, are nationally critical, each with fewer than 300 birds remaining.Habitat destruction, climate change and introduced predators continue to push many species towards extinction. But public awareness can be powerful, she said. This year's contest saw a record number of more than 75,000 voters.As part of the election campaign, the birds were also able to take part in an election debate, where their campaign managers made the case for why the public should vote for them. As well as earning the annual title, the kārearea will become the subject of a new waiata [Māori language song] that will be released to the public.The next highest votes went to the kea, which got 12,506 votes; and the kakaruia or black robin, which followed closely with 11,726 votes. Other birds that did well in this year’s competition were the takahē, once thought to have been extinct, and the ruru, a type of small owl. This Bird of the Year competition illuminates the pressing conservation challenges faced by New Zealand’s avian species.
