Wellington, New Zealand (AP). The annual New Zealand bird elections are disposed of by gloomy parrots, sweet songs and cute, Puffall Robins. This year’s winner was a mysterious phallic that will not think about eating them.
Kāraarea, the local name of the Maori to the New Zealand Falon, was crowned by a bird of the year on Monday. However, the annual survey conducted by the Conservation Group Forest & Bird is not a regular vote on the Internet.
In the fierce struggle for elections, the leaders of the volunteer (people) campaign turn to their favorite bird. Feathers fly when bird enthusiasts seek society to hide through Meme’s battles, garbage speaking poster campaigns and dance routine performed in bird suits.
“The bird of the year has grown from a simple e -mail survey of 2025 to a hot cultural moment,” said Nicola, CEO of Forest & Bird. “Behind meme and chaos is a serious message.”
The competition causes joy to the country of birds
The competition draws attention to the local species of birds of New Zealand, where 80% of the degree is in trouble. But it attracts a passionate fandom because New Zealand is obsessed with birds.
In a country with no local terrestrial mammals, except for two types of bats, birds reign the highest. They appear in art, jewelry, student songs, and the name of New Zealand is known to Kiwis abroad.
Beloved birds contain alpine parrots that harass tourists and pigeons that are so drunk on berries that sometimes leave the trees.
“It’s not the land of lions, tigers and bears,” said one. “Birds here are strange and wonderful, not what you can expect to see perhaps in other countries.”
The result follows a campaign without a scandal
The first competition was less than 900 votes two decades ago. More than 75,000 out of 5 million votes this year.
It was the greatest activity of all time voters, except for the episode, when last week John Oliver, the host tonight, 2023. Volunteered the campaign manager, mostly jokingly from the accusations of New Zealand residents. Perhaps the inevitably Oliver Bird, Puuteketeke or Austalasan Crested Grebe, won 290,000 votes in landslide.
Other disputes shocked the survey. 2021 There was a light uproar when the bats won the title, despite the fact that there was no bird.
Voting 2018 A foreign influence scandal has been reduced when, in Australia, the self -adapted comedians gave hundreds of fraudulent voices for a bird that shares its name with the antipodean slang term for sex. Now voters have to check the email. Email addresses used to give their voices.
Forest & Bird said 87% of this year’s survey votes came from New Zealand. It seemed that more than 14,500 votes Falcon was won honest and square.
Crypt, a mysterious winner
The Great Kāraarea can fly at speeds above 200 km (124 miles) per hour and hide to capture its prey, often smaller birds. Endemic species are threatened with New Zealand, violating the loss of electrical wires and their forest habitats.
“They are a mysterious bird and partly because they are secret, often well hidden,” said Phil Bradfield, a trustee of Kārearea Falcon Trust in Marlborough, the southern Island of New Zealand.
Official data show that there are 5,000 to 8,000 New Zealand Falcons, although the real number is unknown. Bradfield said the “fast and secret and very special” Raptor was deserving the winner of the bird of the year.
Some celebrate campaigns at Underbird
Other campaigns knew that victory would take a miracle on Monday. Birds that are ugly but are not ugly enough to be funny – unknown or perceived as boring facials.
This does not deter bird lovers. 2025 was the first when all 73 bird competitors attracted the campaign leaders, some elected the stump for the contenders they knew.
One of them was Marc Daalder, whose Scrappy, PlaySroots campaign Tākapu or Australian Gannet scored 962 votes – about 15 Falcon.
“To run a campaign for one of the less popular birds is a more satisfying experience because you know that your bird’s voices are the result of your hard work,” said Daalder, who is a (human) political journalist and a three-time (bird) campaign leader.
The survey provides a serious message
Despite the almost record voter activity, such such from Forest & Bird said she was afraid that New Zealand’s inhabitants were giving up some of the most threatening species, as they are more expensive to protect, especially predators such as cats, rats and kiosks.
“Cumulatorically, the New Zealand government has reduced investment in preservation, which is the cornerstone of New Zealand’s economic prosperity,” she said, based on tourism campaigns promoting the country’s picturesque landscapes.
“People come here to see our local birds and places they live,” she said. “They don’t come here to see supermarkets.”