By David Brooks Bigger and better than ever, our Bird of the Year contest had it all in 2019. Relentless mockery between campaign teams, a neck-and-neck race to the finish line between two flightless treasures and priceless publicity for our native birds and the threats they face. Nearly 43,500 New Zealanders voted between October 28 […]
Weka are one of New Zealand’s many flightless birds. But compared with some of their more media-savvy contemporaries, it’s hard for them to get noticed. From the takahē coming out of hiding to the kiwi being the national icon, or the kākāpō being featured on BBC having intimate relations with someone’s head — it’s tough for a flightless […]
Yesterday saw #NationalPoetryDay2018 and #BirdOfTheYear trending alongside one another on Twitter. Alison Ballance from Team Hoiho challenged Twitter to combine the two, calling for people to write poems about their Bird of the Year. A poem about bird beaks from @giselledraws Giselle Clarkson is running her campaign for the royal spoonbill (Kōtuku Ngutupapa) based on […]
Neo the Conservation Dog has the best snoz for sniffing birds. He’s also barking for the Whio (also known as the Blue Duck) to be Bird of the Year for 2018. Likes: sniffs, swims, pats, Whio! Dislikes: stoats, yucky rivers. Quote: “If it whiffs, I sniffs” Whio are the best smelling bird in New Zealand. This is […]
They may not be your traditional ‘giant, round and flightless’ New Zealand native, but Lucy Dickie and Crystal Brindle explain why pīwauwau (rock wren) still deserve your vote. Let’s face it, Bird of the Year has been dominated by the so-called ‘round bois’ who state loudly that being slightly-more-circular-than-average gives them the right to claim the […]
A group of students from Bethlehem School are backing the Kakaruia (Black Robin) in Forest & Bird’s annual Bird of the Year: Te Manu Rongotai o Te Tau competition. Here, they share how they are supporting this precious manu. Tēnā tātou katoa. Ko ngā akōnga o te Rumaki o Peterehema, ngā tino kaiwhakahau mō te Kakaruia (Black Robin). […]
Sixteen-year-old Michael Burton-Smith is campaigning for the Rowi (Ōkarito Brown Kiwi) to take out Forest & Bird’s prestigious Bird of the Year competition for 2018. Here, he tells us about the first time he met a Rowi and why they deserve your vote! I first fell in love with the Rowi last year when I […]
Forest & Bird’s annual Bird of the Year competition started today and eagle-eyed observers will have noticed a few new additions to the lineup, writes Kimberley Collins. Forest & Bird’s annual Bird of the Year competition started today and eagle-eyed observers will have noticed a few new additions to the lineup, writes Kimberley Collins. Every […]
It’s official! The kea has taken our Bird of the Year for 2017. Ellen Rykers investigates how warming temperatures could impact them. While the kea’s antics may be more “court jester” than “monarch”, there’s no denying that kea are formidable kings and queens of the mountains (and our hearts). But their reign as ruler of the […]