AI Image
New Zealand’s Bird of the Year 2026 is a tiny black robin
CNN • • world
Key Points:
- New Zealand’s karure, or black robin, has been named the country’s 2026 Bird of the Year, receiving over 25,000 votes and surpassing previous winners like the kākāpō and kārearea.
- The karure is critically threatened and found only on the remote Chatham Islands, with a remarkable recovery from just five birds in 1980 to around 350 adults today, thanks to intensive conservation efforts.
- More than 105,000 people voted in this year’s contest, the highest turnout in its history, with 88% of votes cast by New Zealanders, reflecting growing public engagement in native wildlife conservation.
- Despite the population increase, the karure remains classified as Threatened-Nationally Critical, and conservationists emphasize the need to establish a new population on a third island to ensure its survival.
- The Bird of the Year competition aims to raise awareness about endangered native species, combining humor and serious conservation messages, as 80% of New Zealand's native birds face some level of threat.
