New Zealanders have chosen the endangered black robin as this year’s Bird of the Year, marking a record turnout in the annual contest organized by the conservation group Forest and Bird. The black robin, a small, native bird found only on the remote Chatham Islands—800 kilometers (500 miles) east of New Zealand’s South Island—received the most votes, beating well-known birds like the kakapo, a flightless parrot, and the karearea falcon. The black robin secured over 26,000 votes, out of a total of 105,000 cast nationwide. Rebecca Hatch, a representative from Forest and Bird, noted the impressive increase in voter participation this year. "Approximately one in every 50 New Zealanders voted," she said, highlighting the strong public interest in conservation. The Chatham Islands Landscape Restoration Trust led the campaign to promote the black robin, aiming to create a third habitat for the species to boost its population and biodiversity. Once critically endangered, with only five individuals remaining in 1980—including a single breeding female—the black robin has rebounded to around 350 birds today. The Bird of the Year competition has not always been without controversy. In 2019, concerns arose over possible Russian interference after a large number of votes came from IP addresses in Russia. However, Forest and Bird concluded that most of the votes were legitimate and did not affect the outcome, which was won by the hoiho, or yellow-eyed penguin. More recently, in 2023, the puteketeke, a bird known for its distinctive call, won the title after comedian John Oliver encouraged his audience to vote for it on his show Last Week Tonight. This year, Hatch emphasized that the record number of votes was not the result of foreign interference. Instead, she credited the increased participation to a growing public interest in conservation and the protection of New Zealand’s unique wildlife. The success of the black robin in the competition is seen as a positive sign for its future, as conservation efforts continue to support its recovery.