One of the rarest penguin species in the world has just been honored as Bird of the Year. The competition attracted thousands of votes with support from celebrities.
Hoiho is the largest of the penguin species currently residing on the mainland of New Zealand. This bird is distinguished by its light yellow feather stripe connecting its eyes, creating a unique mark.
Hoiho is the yellow-eyed penguin native to New Zealand. (Photo: Shutterstock).
The name hoiho comes from the Māori language, meaning “the noisy one,” due to the bird’s high-pitched and sharp call. They inhabit the eastern coastline of the South Island and the Auckland Islands in the sub-Antarctic region.
This species is timid by nature and often has a quite distinctive odor. They prefer to live in natural coastal forests, dense shrubbery, or thick flax bushes, according to The Guardian.
According to the New Zealand Department of Conservation, it is estimated that only about 4,000 to 5,000 hoiho individuals remain in the world. Their numbers are steadily declining.
Over the past 15 years, the population of breeding hoiho on land has decreased by up to 78%, with an 18% drop occurring just in 2023, according to the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust.
“This iconic penguin species is gradually disappearing from the land of Aotearoa (New Zealand) right before our eyes,” shared Nicola Toki, the executive director of the environmental protection organization Forest & Bird and the organizer of the annual competition.
The population of hoiho penguins is significantly declining. (Photo: Thomas Mattern).
Hoiho penguins face numerous threats from all sides, including diseases, attacks from dogs, and predation by invasive species. Their distinctive odor attracts dogs, enabling them to be detected from a distance.
Additionally, hoiho are often caught in bottom fishing nets and struggle to find food. Ms. Toki emphasized that this bird requires urgent marine reserves to ensure its survival.
The Bird of the Year competition was launched in 2005 to raise awareness of the endangered status of native birds in New Zealand. With many species facing the risk of extinction or having disappeared due to the introduction of invasive species, human activities, and habitat degradation.
New Zealand has only native mammals, which are bats and marine creatures. Therefore, native birds are seen as beloved symbols and are often quite rare.
Over the years, this competition has become a hotspot for controversies, from honoring a bat as the champion in 2021 to allegations of Russian interference in 2019.
The two-week competition attracted over 52,000 votes, a significant decrease from the 2023 event, which garnered up to 350,000 votes from 195 countries.
Previously, the substantial number of votes came from a global campaign led by comedian and host John Oliver to protect the pūteketeke – a bird known for its unusual mating rituals.
Pūteketeke is a bird that produces strange sounds and has a distinctive dance during the mating season. (Photo: Shutterstock).
Oliver’s campaign included buying billboards in New Zealand, Japan, France, the UK, India, and Wisconsin, USA. A plane even flew a banner campaign for the pūteketeke over the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Oliver’s efforts paid off when pūteketeke became the champion in 2023.
Hoiho, with 6,328 votes, also received support from celebrities like conservationist Jane Goodall, host of Amazing Race Phil Keoghan, and two former Prime Ministers Helen Clark and Chris Hipkins.
However, this year’s competition was more “local,” according to Ellen Rykers from Forest & Bird, who shared with RNZ.
This year, local advocates used familiar methods to attract votes, from memes to tattoos to show their loyalty.
Hoiho has now joined the ranks of the kākāpō, becoming the second bird species to win twice. The kākāpō won in 2008 and 2020.
