The New Zealand calle, or black robin, small and shy and dressed in black from head to toe, has been named the country’s 2026 Bird of the Year.
This critically endangered bird is found only in the Chatham Islands, about 800 kilometers east of mainland New Zealand. Karur topped the standings with more than 25,000 votes, beating out previous winners Kakapo, a large flightless parrot, and Karelia, a New Zealand peregrine falcon, in second and third respectively.
Conservation organization Forest and Bird, which organizes the contest, said more than 105,000 people voted this year, or about one in 50 New Zealanders, making it the highest number of votes in the contest’s history.
This record turnout was up from the more than 75,000 people who voted in 2025, and a huge jump from the first convention 20 years ago, when less than 900 people voted. This year, 88% of votes came from within New Zealand, the highest turnout ever for New Zealanders.
But behind Carle’s gothic exterior is an extraordinary survival story.
By 1980, the species was reduced to just five individuals. Only one was a fertile female and was known as Old Blue. Conservationists have begun an intensive breeding program, using Old Blue and the male Old Yellow as the first pair, according to Forest and Bird.
There are now around 350 adult black robins living on two islands in the pest-free nature reserve, and their recovery has brought international recognition to New Zealand’s conservation efforts.
“Thank you, Aotearoa!” the Chatham Islands Landscape Restoration Trust, which ran the Karuru campaign, posted on Facebook in response to the results, using the Māori name for New Zealand. The group said there was still much work to do to ensure the population continued to grow.
This is because the comeback is still fragile. The New Zealand Department of Conservation classifies the karur as endangered, and its existing habitat is nearly full. Conservationists argue that if numbers are to continue to grow, new populations need to be established on third islands.
The annual bird competition aims to raise awareness of New Zealand’s unique wildlife and the threats facing some of our most endangered species. But over the years, Bird of the Year has also become known for its fiercely competitive campaigns, sarcastic rivalries, and occasional controversy.
In 2020, organizers detected more than 1,500 fraudulent votes cast using fake email addresses from the same IP address, briefly pushing the little spotted Kiwi to the top of the leaderboard. And in 2021, the contest was won by a creature that isn’t even a bird: a New Zealand long-tailed bat.
This year’s contest leant toward an election theme, dividing candidates into political parties such as Shy Birds, Floor Birds, Night Birds and High Birds, and offering plenty of “big news.”
“While the jokes are funny and this year’s meme game certainly didn’t disappoint, there’s a serious underlying message behind them,” Rebecca Hatch, Forrest & Bird’s advocacy group manager, said in a statement.
Forest & Bird says 80 per cent of New Zealand’s native birds are in some kind of trouble or serious problem, including eight of this year’s top 10 birds.
