Bird of the Year Te Manu Rongonui o te Tau 2026
04 September 2026 - 20 September 2026
Region(s): Nationwide
Type(s): competitions, national Events
The annual Bird of the Year competition has now been running for over 20 years. Which Aotearoa New Zealand native birds will capture your votes this year?
Each year, the competition shines a spotlight on birds in trouble. Some species, like the kakī black stilt, have soared from obscurity to national fame. Others, like the kākāpō, have used their Bird of the Year wins to rally support for urgent recovery programmes.
New for 2026
As well as competing for Bird of the Year votes as individual candidates, this year the birds have been grouped into parties. Naturally, those parties come complete with manu-festos – with lots of puns.
Each vote cast for a bird will also count towards its party's total. This means the election will reveal not only the bird of the year but the favourite flock.
The six bird parties standing in 2026 are:
Sea birds and Tree birds – the ocean-goers versus the forest chorus
Shore birds and Floor birds – the water bloc versus the flightless battlers
Shy birds and High birds – the quiet caucus versus the high living
This year's chaos comes complete with polls, swing voters, endorsements, and the odd bit of flocka-jumping if someone changes sides. It's democracy, but for birds, and it is about to get loud.
With 80% of Aotearoa native birds in trouble, Forest & Bird is reminding voters: your vote counts – not just in the ballot box, but in the bush, in communities and at the decision-making table. The goal of this annual campaign is to highlight conservation work such as predator control, habitat restoration, and bring a louder voice for nature. As bird flu threatens some of our most vulnerable candidates, our feathered whānau need your attention more than ever.
For schools
Every school or classroom can get behind their favourite bird (or get under their favourite underbird).
With your ākonga take up the chance to join the fun and learn about the special manu of Aoteroa. School votes are collated by teachers and counted at the end. Like special votes, the voices of young voters could dramatically alter the outcome in the final hours of voting.
Forest & Bird has made school voting easy with a complete resource pack for schools. Get your school or classroom onboard by registering here.
Bird of the Year Te Manu Rongonui o te Tau 2026 – Dates
Voting opens: 9am Monday 4 September
Voting closes: 5pm Sunday 20 September
Winner announced Monday 21 September
Keep an eye on the Bird of the Year website www.birdoftheyear.org.nz as more information is added.
Previous Science Learning Hub campaigns
The Science Learning Hub Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao are big supporters of Bird of the Year – see our campaign videos for the huia, ruru, takahē and the toroa/northern royal albatross.
Related content
In 2021 there was lots of controversy when the pekapeka won, but which bird will get your vote in 2026? Will it be the takahē, kiwi, kākā, kererū, godwit, kea, albatross, ruru, huia or one of New Zealand's native ducks?
In 2023 Forest & Bird included 5 extinct species in the competition, read why this was important in Call of the huia: how NZ’s bird of the century contest helps us express ‘ecological grief’. That year contest gained lots of international attention, explore this further in Pūteketeke – it’s OK to laugh at Bird of the Century.
We have re-purposed the popular Building Science Concepts Book 3: Birds: Structure, Function, and Adaptation with an article and interactive linking this great resource with Hub content.
The Science Learning Hub also has a flock of resources under our Birds topic, you could start with the article Conserving native birds – introduction.
#BOTY2026 #birdoftheyear
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