New Zealand’s fastest bird, the threatened kārearea falcon, has soared to victory in the country’s beloved Bird of the Year competition. Capable of reaching speeds of 200km/h as it dives for prey, the kārearea is New Zealand’s only endemic falcon and has now joined an exclusive club of double winners, having also taken the crown in 2012.
Small, tawny and armed with powerful talons, the kārearea hunts other birds, lizards and even small mammals. With just 5,000 to 8,000 left in the wild, the species faces ongoing threats from introduced predators such as stoats, cats and hedgehogs that target their ground-laid eggs, as well as habitat loss and collisions with power lines and buildings.
“The kārearea is just a stunning bird,” said Emma Blackburn, chair of the Karearea Falcon Trust. “It’s our only remaining endemic raptor and a really important part of our ecosystem.”
The annual contest, organised by conservation group Forest & Bird to raise awareness of New Zealand’s fragile native birdlife, attracted over 75,000 verified votes from 123 countries. This year’s poll was notably scandal-free, a departure from past controversies that have included allegations of foreign vote-rigging, Australians trying to back the shag, and even the surprise crowning of a bat in 2021.
The kea, the cheeky alpine parrot, placed second, while the tiny karure, a rare black robin from the Chatham Islands, finished third.
“Behind the memes and mayhem is a serious message,” said Forest & Bird chief executive Nicola Toki. “Eighty percent of our birds are in trouble. People fall in love with them – and once they know their stories, they care, they advocate and they act.”
The kārearea now stands alongside the kākāpō and hoiho as one of only three species to win the title twice – a symbol of both its popularity and its precarious fight for survival.
