[imagesource: Ash Robinson]

Congrats to the kākāpō, even if the title of New Zealand’s bird of the year does come with a not so subtle dig.

For example, in announcing the decision, the Guardian came right out and called the kākāpō “the world’s fattest parrot”.

There’s a reason it has been nicknamed the “mighty moss chicken”, and there’s also a reason that New Zealanders bestowed the bird with the prestigious title for an unprecedented second time.

In short, it’s pretty tough not to love this flightless parrot, which has now been brought back from the brink of extinction due to extensive efforts from conservationists.

Here’s a little video to set us on our way:

We can’t exactly let that second point about the ‘party’ parrot slide by without a closer look.

You may recall this from one of our Throwback Thursday videos, but let’s relive a class moment from BBC Two’s Last Chance To See, presented by Stephen Fry and zoologist Mark Carwardine.

It’s impossible to hear Stephen Fry saying “you are being shagged by a rare parrot” without chuckling:

Lovely.

During the two-week voting period, it was actually the Antipodean Albatross which topped the leaderboard with the most number one votes.

However, once the preferential voting system was applied (voters selected their top five), the kākāpō streaked ahead, although there was some drama:

No stranger to scandal, the competition this year involved the endorsement by an adult toy store of the polyamorous hihi, or stitchbird, and voter fraud. Volunteer scrutineers found 1,500 votes cast one night were from the same IP address, all for the smallest kiwi species, the kiwi pukupuku or little spotted kiwi.

Here’s a little spotted kiwi:

Image: Andrew Digby / Stuff

Not even some underhanded voting tactics could usurp the mighty kākāpō.

Although it didn’t crack a spot in the top 10, reports Stuff, one bird did nail its marketing campaign:

Notable mentions must go to the kākāriki karaka/orange-fronted parakeet, which ran under the banner ‘The Orange Face You Can Trust’, even producing a range of t-shirts, and the takahē, who had its own Tiktok account.

Let’s finish with the top 10 in full:

Kākāpō
Toroa/Antipodean Albatross
Kakaruia/Black Robin
Kārearea/New Zealand Falcon
Kererū
Pohowera/Banded Dotterel
Kākā
Ruru/Morepork
Whio/Blue Duck
Pīwakawaka/Fantail

[sources:guardian&stuff]