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September 30, 2025
Rebecca Hatch | Forest and Bird Group Manager for Growing Support
Dale Husband
Posted On September 30, 2025
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The kārearea has swooped to victory as Aotearoa’s 2025 Bird of the Year, marking the 20th anniversary of the iconic competition. With more than 75,000 votes cast and a record-breaking wave of memes, reels, and creative campaigning, the high-speed falcon has claimed its second crown.
Download AudioThe kārearea has swooped to victory as Aotearoa’s 2025 Bird of the Year, marking the 20th anniversary of the iconic competition. With more than 75,000 votes cast and a record-breaking wave of memes, reels, and creative campaigning, the high-speed falcon has claimed its second crown. The kārearea is the 2025 Bird of the Year. It won the annual competition, run by the New Zealand conservation organization Forest & Bird, for the second time.
Key details from the 2025 competition:
- The kārearea won with 14,317 votes, followed by the kea and the black robin.
- The win marked the 20th anniversary of the competition, which received over 75,000 votes.
- While a fun campaign, the contest has a serious conservation message: 80% of the top 10 finishers are threatened species, including two that are critically endangered.
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