Stinky, Noisy, Shy: New Zealand’s Bird of the Year

And the winner is … the hoiho, also known as the yellow-eyed penguin. The plucky (and somewhat smelly) bird is the world’s rarest penguin, according to  Forest & Bird, the group behind New Zealand’s Bird of the Year competition.

The hoiho raked in 6,328 votes, beating out the runner up, the Karure Chatham Island black robin, by about 1300 votes. The penguin is now a two-time winner, having taken the 2019 contest, a competition tainted by allegations of Russian interference. (Really. A surge of votes from Russia initially raised concerns of foul play, but the voters were later confirmed to be legitimate birders.)

About 50,000 humans cast votes in this year’s election, a far cry from last year’s contest, which brought in over 300,000 ballots after comedian John Oliver’s threw his considerable weight behind the eventual 2023 winner, the pūteketeke. This year’s winner did have a few notable backers, including primatologist Jane Goodall and a couple of former NZ prime ministers.

The hoiho, Maori for “noise shouter” due to its loud, shrill call, breeds along the eastern and south-eastern coastlines of the South Island of New Zealand, as well at a few other spots on or near the Otago Peninsula. Its other notable characteristics are its pungent smell and yellow coloring about the eyes. It is also notoriously shy.

The (Megadyptes antipodes) species has declined over the past 20 years, with some populations dropping by 75% since the mid-1990s. Rising ocean temperatures, avian disease, pollution, and commercial fishing are all threats to the threatened bird.

“This spotlight couldn’t have come at a better time,” Forest & Bird's chief executive Nicola Toki. tells BBC News “This iconic penguin is disappearing from mainland Aotearoa (New Zealand) before our eyes.”

The annual contest organizers hope to raise awareness on rare and endangered avian species. Click here to donate.

Photo credit: Dunedin NZ