Black robin bucks shy tag to take Bird of the Year 2026
The karure black robin has been voted New Zealand's Bird of the Year 2026. Despite its conservation success, the species remains critically endangered and requires new habitats to continue its population growth.
Why it matters
The election highlights the success of local conservation efforts and the ongoing challenges of protecting endangered species on limited island territories.
The diminutive karure black robin has won Bird of the Year.
The kākāpō came second, leaving the kārearea in third place.
Fourth and fifth place went to the kea and takahē respectively.
It is the first time the karure has topped polling for the Forest and Bird-run election , despite coming close several times.
Found in lowland coastal forests in the Chatham Islands, the shy birds are a conservation success story, going from just five birds in the 1980s to about 350 today.
Forest and Bird's Rebecca Hatch told RNZ that despite the success, the karure black robin was critically endangered.
"While the birds live on predator-free islands, those small islands are nearly at capacity in terms of good black robin territory," she said.
"For the population to keep growing, a third population needs to be established on another island."
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