Cheeky mountain parrot kea named New Zealand's bird of the year

Tuesday, 24 October 2017

The votes are in for 2017's second-biggest election and the winner is clear – the kea is our bird of the year.

It is the first time the kea has won the annual Forest & Bird poll, which has run since at least 2005, though it did come in second to the kōkako in 2016.

The Green Party's backing of the kererū was not enough to give it the win.

The win came at a perilous time for kea – they have been classified as nationally endangered with just 3000 – 7000 of the mountain-dwelling birds remaining, Forest & Bird said.

As well as predation, they were often hit by cars, stuck in man-made objects, and got sick from human food. Adding to their woes was lead poisoning from licking and chewing lead nails and flashings, while climate change could also be making their alpine habitats too warm.

* Kōkako wins Bird of the Year title

* What does your Bird of the Year vote say about you?

* Kererū debate sows native seeds of division in Bird of the Year competition**

This year's poll attracted 50,000 votes – up from 20,000 in 2016. More than 7000 of those votes went to the kea.

The kea campaign was run by and kea enthusiasts and supported by the Kea Conservation Trust.

Team Kea co-campaigner Laura Young hoped the win would make people realise how vulnerable kea were.

'We often hear of them hanging out in car parks, being cheeky and stealing things, but don't realise they are in decline. You can't not love them.'

While the Green Party pulled off a remarkable turnaround in New Zealand's general election, it backed a loser in the bird of the year competition, launching a campaign backing the kererū.

That announcement came as members of Team Kea were monitoring kea in Kahurangi National Park in the top of the South Island.

'One day we climbed to the top of Mt Patriarch to get reception and check in on the campaign,' Young said.

'We saw that the Green Party had made an official announcement in support of the kererū, so we used what little phone battery we had left to hit back at them with a retaliation video.'

Previous winners:

2016: Kōkako

2015: Bar tailed godwit

2014: Fairy Tern

2013: Mohua

2012: Kārearea

2011: Pukeko

2010: Kākāriki

2009: Kiwi

2008: Kākāpo

2007: Grey warbler

2006: Fantail

2005: Tui