Hoiho takes flight in Bird of the Year competition

With Dunedin’s support, the yellow-eyed penguin (hoiho) has surged ahead of its rivals in this year’s Bird of the Year voting.

Forest & Bird yesterday confirmed the flightless seabird had overtaken the previous frontrunner, the Chatham Island robin (karure), and was now in first place in Bird of the Year 2024.

Only a few hundred votes separated the first and second-place birds and the kākāpō was less than 100 votes behind before voting closed on Sunday at 5pm, Forest & Bird said.

Hoiho campaign manager Tūhura Otago Museum and Wild Dunedin marketing manager Charlie Buchan said with just 131 breeding pairs on the mainland, Dunedin was at risk of losing its renowned penguin.

"We’re over the moon that the Dunedin community has shown up to back our hoiho, who live right alongside us around the Otago coastline," he said.

The winner will be announced on Monday.