Sept 17 (Askume) – The yellow-eyed penguin (hoiho) won a popular annual competition for the second time with 6,328 votes to be named New Zealand’s Bird of the Year in 2024.
The hoiho, believed to be the world’s rarest penguin species by competition organisers Forest & Bird, outpaced runners-up the Chatham Island black robin and the kakapo, winning huge support from the public in the final week of the competition.
This year’s race is more low-key than last year, when American-British comedian John Oliver launched a television campaign in support of Putkotek that attracted a record number of voters from 195 countries and caused the verification system on the website to crash.
The Hoiho are native to New Zealand and their population is estimated to be between 4,000 and 5,000.
Although its Maori name means “scaly,” the species is known for its elusive behavior and strong sense of smell. This penguin won the championship in 2019.
Forest & Bird chief executive Nicola Tocci said the species was in critical condition.
“We’ve lost 78 percent of the continent’s population in just 15 years due to poachers and climate change,” he said.
The competition received about 52,500 votes, reflecting New Zealanders’ deep connection with native birds, but was far fewer than the more than 350,000 votes received last year as Oliver’s campaign attracted a global audience.
“It’s nice to see us integrated into our national identity,” Torquay said.
With few terrestrial predators for most of its history, New Zealand is home to more flightless birds than anywhere else in the world, including penguins, chickadees and the iconic kiwi bird.
