New Zealand’s kārearea falcon, the country’s fastest bird and only native raptor, has soared to victory in the 2025 Bird of the Year competition.
Capable of reaching speeds of up to 200km/h in pursuit of prey, the small tawny falcon is a formidable aerial hunter. But with just 5,000–8,000 left in the wild, it is considered threatened. Ground-nesting habits make kārearea especially vulnerable to predators such as cats, stoats and hedgehogs, while habitat loss, collisions with power lines, and vineyard netting have also reduced numbers.
“The kārearea is just a stunning bird,” said Emma Blackburn, chair of the Karearea Falcon Trust. “It’s our only remaining endemic raptor and a really important part of our ecosystem.”
Run by conservation group Forest and Bird, the two-week annual competition drew more than 75,000 verified votes from 123 countries. Unlike past years—when scandals ranged from alleged Russian interference to John Oliver’s global campaign for the pūteketeke—the 2025 contest was controversy-free.
The kārearea, which also won in 2012, joins the kākāpō and hoiho as the only birds to have taken the title twice. The cheeky alpine kea came second, while the karure, a rare black robin found only on the Chatham Islands, placed third.
Forest and Bird chief executive Nicola Toki stressed the serious message behind the lighthearted campaign: “This year’s top 10 matches the statistics exactly – 80% of them are in trouble. Climate change, habitat loss and predators are pushing species towards extinction. People fall in love with these birds – and once they know their stories, they care, they advocate and they act.”
The Bird of the Year competition, launched 20 years ago, has become a national institution, raising awareness of New Zealand’s fragile and unique avian life.
