Global competition
Rare penguin: Hoiho is New Zealand’s bird of the year

The Hoiho is considered to be critically endangered. Photo
© Hayden Parsons/Forest And Bird/dpa
New Zealand’s wildlife is unique. In order to better protect endangered species, a competition is held every year to select the bird of the year. This year’s winner is the second time he has won.
One of the rarest penguins in the world is in New Zealand has been named Bird of the Year. The yellow-eyed penguin, known in its homeland as Hoiho, beat out dozens of illustrious competitors in the annual competition, according to the conservation organization Forest and Bird. The bird – whose scientific name is Megadyptes antipodes – is considered to be highly endangered: According to experts, only about 160 pairs are left on the New Zealand mainland.
Forest and Bird runs the popular vote every year to raise awareness of the threats to the Pacific state’s iconic bird species. People from all over the world can take part online. Certain birds often receive celebrity support – as was the case this year.
Support from Jane Goodall
The city of Dunedin on the South Island had “adopted” the yellow-eyed penguin for the competition – and thus probably catapulted it to first place. As a result, personalities such as the famous conservationist Jane Goodall and the former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins also promoted the Hoiho.
Threat from diseases and predators
The hoiho – which grows to between 60 and 80 centimetres and can scream quite shrilly – now lives only in the east of New Zealand’s South Island and on remote island groups such as the sub-Antarctic Auckland and Campbell Islands. “This spotlight couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Nicola Toki, managing director of Forest and Bird. “Because the hoiho is under attack from all sides.” The penguins suffer from diseases such as diphtheria and are attacked by dogs, while chicks are often eaten by introduced predators such as stoats and ferrets.
In total, more than 52,400 people worldwide took part in the vote. The Hoiho received around 6,300 votes. Along with the Kakapo (a flightless parrot), it is the only bird to have won the election for the second time: the rare penguin had already triumphed in 2019.
The Chatham Island black robin came in second place, while the kakapo took third place. Last year, to mark the 100th anniversary of Forest and Bird, New Zealand even named the bird of the century: the great crested grebe, known in its homeland as the “Puteketeke”.