And the winner is...
25 October 2017The kea has been crowned New Zealand’s Bird of the Year after two weeks of heated campaigning.
These large, green mountain parrots are known for their curiosity and intelligence. Once numbering in the hundreds of thousands, they are now classified as Nationally Endangered with just 3,000 - 7,000 birds remaining.
Like many of New Zealand's native birds, kea are vulnerable to predation by introduced mammalian predators. When frequenting populated areas they are also known to get hit by cars or stuck in man-made objects. Lead poisoning is also causing problems for some populations of kea, as they lick and chew the lead nails and flashings on older houses and huts. They can also get sick from human food, which is sometimes fed to them by people. Kea could also be impacted by climate change as warming temperatures may limit their habitat range in New Zealand’s alpine environments.
Thank you for donating to help us protect New Zealand's native birds. Like the kea, many are endangered and your support means Forest & Bird can continue to protect and restore New Zealand's wildlife and wild places.
From all of us here at Forest & Bird - thank you.