Fat and flightless parrot species barred from New Zealand’s bird of the year contest

Kakapo (BBC Earth/YouTube)

New Zealand’s annual bird of the year competition has dropped the two-time champion kākāpō from participating amid worries that its dominance could steal the limelight, once again, from lesser charismatic species of birds.

Kākāpō, the fat, flightless and nocturnal parrot — the heaviest parrot in the world — won the competition in 2008 and then in 2020.

The website of the “Bird of the Year” competition said that the voting for the most favourite bird of New Zealand shall be opened from 17 to 30 October this year.

It said “the competition, hosted by Forest and Bird, showcases Aotearoa’s native birds and the importance of their preservation”.

This year’s theme of “underbirds” highlights the “more underappreciated and overlooked native birds of New Zealand”. In fact, after the flightless parrot got the boot, this time the council is throwing its weight behind “the hihi for its on-point colour scheme, and to give it as much airtime as some of its feathered friends.” The hihi or stitchbird is endemic to the North Island and adjacent offshore islands of New Zealand.

Forest and Bird has developed a list of 21 “underbirds” to highlight some of these lesser-known candidates for the annual “avian elections”.

The kākāpō was almost on the verge of extinction but thanks to conservation efforts, their population has risen from 50 during the 1990s to 252 today.

In a statement, Forest and Bird spokesperson Ellen Rykers said: “Bird of the Year is a beloved fixture on the conservation calendar each year, and we’re stoked to bring Aotearoa yet another banger battle of the birds.”

The Guardian quoted the spokesperson as saying that the kākāpō was not banned from entry. “It’s a hiatus. It’s definitely not a lifetime ban. You know, if the same bird keeps winning every year, that might make it not so interesting.”

“New Zealanders love getting behind an underdog – or in this case, underbird – and we want to channel that love to some of our feathered friends that may be overshadowed by their flashier, chonkier or louder cousins,” the earlier statement said.

Besides the kākāpō, the 2021 winner, pekapeka-tou-roa or long-tailed bat is also taking a hiatus from this year’s competition.