Hoiho yellow-eyed penguin named Bird of the Year

The hoiho has been named the 2024 Bird of the Year.

Hoiho surged into first place in the second week of the competition, finishing with 6,328 votes, after initially trailing the karure Chatham Island black robin, organisers said. The karure came in second and the kākāpō, third.

The results of the competition, which attracted more than 52,000 verified votes, were announced on Morning Report on Monday.

Ellen Rykers from Forest & Bird, which runs the competition, said the nationally-endangered bird is the largest penguin found on the mainland, is said nationally endangered .

"The mainland population in particular has declined substantially by about 78 percent in the last 15 years," she told Morning Report.

It's the hoiho's second time in the winner's spot, having become the first seabird to be named Bird of the Year in 2019.

The hoiho attracted high-profile endorsements, including from conservationist Dr Jane Goodall, former prime minister Helen Clark and Labour leader Chris Hipkins.

Its campaign was backed by Ōtepoti Dunedin locals, and supporters included the Highlanders rugby team and Emerson's Brewery, which crafted a special pale ale in honour of the "people's penguin".

It is thought to be the world's rarest penguin species, according to Forest & Bird, and found along the east coast of the South Island, on Rakiura Stewart Island, and the Auckland and Campbell Islands.

"This spotlight couldn't have come at a better time," Forest & Bird chief executive Nicola Toki said. The penguins were vulnerable to predators and dog attacks, and at risk of being caught in set nets at sea, she said.

Its te reo Māori name, hoiho, means 'noise shouter', though it is notoriously shy despite its loud, shrill call.

Rykers earlier said the competition was a chance to celebrate Aotearoa's "amazing" native birds.

"It's also an opportunity to highlight that more than 80 percent of them are in trouble, or serious trouble, and they really need our help."

Rykers said this year's competition had more of a homegrown feel, after a campaign by United States talk show host John Oliver in 2023 led to a landslide victory for the pūteketeke (Australasian crested grebe).

"We have seen some amazing support from some New Zealand celebrities this year. So Sam Neill just endorsed the pukunui - the southern NZ dotterel - and .. Paddy Gower's just supported the Adélie penguin."

Voters were able to cast their ballots for up to five birds on the online poll, from a selection of 74 "candidates".

The top 10 votes: