New Zealand’s fastest bird, capable of flying 200km/h in its pursuit of prey, has been crowned bird of the year, a long-running annual competition that has previously been a lightning rod for scandal and hijinks.
According to The Guardian, the threatened kārearea is New Zealand’s only falcon. It is small and tawny, with impressive talons and large dark eyes. Kārearea are powerful aerial hunters and watch other birds, lizards or small mammals, sometimes larger than themselves, from a high vantage point before diving at high speed to snatch their prey.
Emma Blackburn, the chair of the Karearea Falcon Trust said, “The kārearea is just a stunning bird. It’s our only remaining endemic raptor and a really important part of our ecosystem.”
There are between roughly 5,000 to 8,000 kārearea left, according to the Department of Conservation. They live in forests around the country and nest on the ground, typically under boulders or fallen trees.
The birds are “very vulnerable” to predation by introduced mammals such as cats, hedgehogs and stoats who feast on their ground-dwelling eggs, Blackburn said.
Habitat loss through tree logging and the conversion of tussocked grassland into pasture has also likely reduced populations. Meanwhile, the birds sometimes fly into power lines, buildings and nets over vines and trees, Blackburn said.
The bird of the year competition, run by conservation group Forest and Bird, was scandal-free this year but New Zealanders still took to social media to plug their preferred candidates. Each of the 73 contenders had their own campaign manager.
