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In a competition free from the controversies of previous years, one of the world's rarest penguins, the yellow-eyed hoiho, has been named New Zealand's Bird of the Year. The annual contest, known for past scandals, took a more subdued turn this year.
According to a report on The Guardian, the endangered hoiho, meaning "noise shouter" in Māori due to its shrill call, is the largest of New Zealand’s mainland penguin species. It is distinguished by a pale yellow band of feathers circling its eyes. The penguin inhabits the South Island's east coast and the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands, with an estimated population of just 4,000 to 5,000 individuals, according to the Department of Conservation.
“This spotlight couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Nicola Toki, CEO of Forest & Bird, the organization behind the competition. She noted the species has faced a steep decline, with the number of breeding birds on the mainland plummeting by 78% over the past 15 years, including an 18% drop in the last year alone.
The hoiho is threatened by various dangers, including diseases, dog attacks, predation from introduced species, and entanglement in set nets. Toki stressed the urgency of establishing marine protected areas to safeguard their survival.
This year's competition attracted over 52,000 votes, a significant drop from 2023’s record-breaking 350,000 votes. Last year’s surge in participation followed an aggressive global campaign by comedian John Oliver in support of the pūteketeke, a threatened species of duck, which won in 2023.
The hoiho’s 2024 victory was supported by endorsements from high-profile figures, including conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall and former Prime Ministers Helen Clark and Chris Hipkins. Despite the backing, this year’s campaign was a more local affair, with wildlife groups, a museum, a brewery, and a rugby team from Dunedin rallying for the penguin.
The hoiho is now one of only two birds to have claimed the title twice, joining the kākāpō, which won in 2008 and 2020. The karure, a small black robin from New Zealand's Chatham Islands, finished second, while the kākāpō, the world’s heaviest and longest-living parrot, took third.
[Information sourced from The Guardian]
