New Zealand's Bird of the Year contest won by shy, smelly penguin

The hoiho has emerged victorious in the battle of the birds!

The battle of the birds is over, and a shy, smelly penguin has emerged victorious to claim the title of champion in New Zealand's Bird of the Year competition.

The big vote takes place each year, and aims to celebrate and raise awareness of New Zealand's native birds and flying creatures.

More than 52,000 votes were cast in the competition, and this year's winner is the hoiho yellow-eyed penguin, who secured 6,328 votes, beating the tiny 'goth' karure black robin and the kākāpō.

The hoiho now joins the kākāpō as the only flying creature to have won the competition twice.

What is the hoiho like?

The hoiho penguins are incredibly rare in the wild

The yellow-eyed penguin is thought to be one of the rarest penguin species in the world and can only be found in New Zealand.

It gets its name hoiho from the Māori “noise shouter” after the loud, shrill call it makes.

The hoiho gets its famous yellow eyes from a chemical called carotene, which gives colour to things like carrots and tomatoes and is also found in some small sea creatures.

The penguin is listed as 'nationally endangered' and according to research by the Yellow-Eyed Penguin Trust, 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.

“This spotlight couldn’t have come at a better time,” says Nicola Toki, chief executive of Forest & Bird, the environmental organisation that runs the annual competition. “This iconic penguin is disappearing from mainland Aotearoa before our eyes.”

The hoiho have struggled with disease in recent years, as well as getting caught in fishing nets, and a shortage of food.

The birds also give off a strong, fishy smell, which can leave them vulnerable to attacks from predators who sniff them down.

What is New Zealand's Bird of the Year competition?

A karure, or Chatham Islands black robin came second place after some heated competition

The competition was first held in 2005 as a way to help raise awareness of New Zealand's most vulnerable bird species, and it's run by the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand, also known simply as Forest and Bird.

The competition's name in Maori - one of the official languages spoken by the people of New Zealand - is 'Te Manu Rongonui o te Tau'.

The word Manu means flying creatures, so this has meant in the past some flying creatures that aren't birds are included, like bats.

In fact, in 2021 the pekapeka-tou-roa, or long-tailed bat won!

In the past, the competition has attracted some controversy, from international celebrities joining in to fraudulent votes!

But the organisers say that the voting this year has been much calmer.