Rare breed of smelly penguin is crowned as New Zealand’s bird of the year
One of the world’s rarest penguins, which is known for its distinctive fishy smell, has been crowned New Zealand’s bird of the year.
The endangered yellow-eyed penguin, or hoiho, is the largest of New Zealand’s mainland penguin species and is known for the pale yellow band of feathers linking its eyes.
The hoiho, meaning “noise shouter” in Māori owing to its shrill call, lives along parts of the South Island’s east coast and in the SubAntarctic Auckland Islands. The shy species tends to live in native coastal forests, scrub or dense flax.
There are only believed to be between 4,000 and 5,000 left in the world, according to New Zealand’s department of conservation, and it is a species in decline.
The number of mainland breeding birds has dropped by 78% over the last 15 years – including an 18% dip over just the last year alone, says the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust.
“This spotlight couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Nicola Toki, the chief executive of Forest & Bird, the environmental organisation that runs the annual competition.
“This iconic penguin is disappearing from mainland Aotearoa [New Zealand] before our eyes.”
The birds are “being hammered from all angles” including from diseases, dog attacks, and predation from introduced pests, she said in a statement. The penguin’s fishy odour is irresistible to dogs, which can smell them from a distance.
The bird of the year competition was launched in 2005 to raise awareness about the plight of New Zealand’s native birds.
Over the years, the contest has become a lightning rod for scandal, from crowning a bat the winner in 2021, to accusations of Russian interference in 2019, and claims that Australians attempted to rig the contest in favour of the shag in 2018.
The hoiho, which secured 6,328 votes to win, attracted celebrity endorsements, including from conservationist Dr Jane Goodall.
The tiny karure, a small “goth” black robin found only on New Zealand’s Chatham Island, came second.