North Shore Times (New Zealand)
Alpine parrot top bird
The votes are in for 2017’s second-biggest election and the winner is clear – the kea is our bird of the year.
It is the first time the kea has won the annual Forest & Bird poll, which has run since at least 2005, though it did come in second to the ko¯ kako in 2016.
The win came at a perilous time for kea – they have been classified as nationally endangered with just 3000 to 7000 of the mountain-dwelling birds remaining, Forest & Bird said.
As well as predation, they were often hit by cars, stuck in man-made objects, and got sick from human food. Adding to their woes was lead poisoning from licking and chewing lead nails and flashings, while climate change could also be making their alpine habitats too warm.
This year’s poll attracted 50,000 votes – up from 20,000 in 2016. More than 7000 of those votes went to the kea.
The kea campaign was run by and kea enthusiasts and supported by the Kea Conservation Trust.
Team Kea co-campaigner Laura Young hoped the win would make people realise how vulnerable kea were.
‘‘We often hear of them hanging out in car parks, being cheeky and stealing things, but don’t realise they are in decline. You can’t not love them.’’
Previous winners include the bar-tailed godwit (2015), fairy tern (2014) and mohua (2013).