Shy, smelly penguin wins New Zealand bird of the year

By Cordelia Hsu

(Reuters) - The yellow-eyed penguin, or hoiho, has been crowned New Zealand's Bird of the Year for 2024, securing 6,328 votes for its second win in the popular annual competition.

The hoiho, considered the world's rarest penguin species by competition organisers Forest and Bird, surpassed the runner-up Chatham Island black robin and the kakapo, earning significant public support in the final week of the contest.

This year's competition was more low-key than last year, when a televised campaign by American-British comedian John Oliver in favour of the puteketeke attracted a record number of voters from 195 countries and crashed the website's verification system.

The hoiho, which is native to New Zealand, has an estimated population of between 4,000 to 5,000.

Despite its Maori name meaning "noise shouter," the species is known for its elusive behaviour and strong odour. The penguin previously won the title in 2019.

Forest and Bird CEO Nicola Toki said the species was in a critical condition.

"We've lost 78% of their mainland population in just 15 years due to predators and climate change," she said.

The competition saw nearly 52,500 votes cast, reflecting New Zealanders' deep connection with their native birds, but far fewer than the more than 350,000 received last year after Oliver's campaign attracted a global audience.

"It's great to see us clicking into our national identity," Toki said.

With few land-based predators for much of its history, New Zealand is home to more species of flightless bird than anywhere else in the world, including penguins, takahe and the iconic kiwi.

(Reporting by Cordelia Hsu in Sydney; Writing by Alasdair Pal; Editing by Jamie Freed)