Source: NZ Department of Conservation

It’s that magical time again when feathers fly, memes hatch, and suddenly everyone you know is a part-time ornithologist. Yes, it’s Bird of the Year season. 

In the space of a week, your mate who couldn’t tell a kererū from a chicken is suddenly dropping lines like: “Actually, the black stilt is the rarest wading bird in the world.” Someone else casually mentions that pūteketeke perform synchronised weed dances, and now you’re wondering if you should launch a reality TV show called Feathers & Follie.

The good news? You don’t have to pick just one favourite, you can vote for up to five birds. The bad news? That still means leaving a whole lot of deserving birds off your ballot. Back the tara iti, kākāpō, kororā, and southern dotterel, but what about the tūī that soundtracked your lockdown, or the cheeky pīwakawaka who wagged you out of the bush? Bird FOMO is real. 

And then comes the question we always get:
“Hey DOC, which bird are you backing?” 

Here’s where we ruffle a few feathers: we can’t endorse one bird over another. As lovers of all our native birds, we’re fence sitters and remain strictly bird neutral as an organisation. That would be like a parent announcing they have a favourite child. (Even though secretly, every parent knows which one’s the “easy one.”) Our job isn’t to pick sides. It’s to make sure all of Aotearoa’s birds survive and thrive long enough for future Bird of the Year showdowns. From the booming kākāpō to the chip-stealing gull, they’re all our taonga. 

That said, our passionate DOC rangers and scientists are only human, and yes, they definitely have favourites. From tara iti in the north to takahē in the south, there’s a diversity of strong opinions, whispered alliances, and quiet campaign slogans in our tea rooms. So, while you might encounter some of our friendly staff gently nudging you towards a certain ornithological choice, as an organisation we keep our feathers unruffled and our loyalties neutral, the ultimate test of self-control for any bird fan.  

So what’s a good nature-lover to do? This is where Always Be Naturing swoops in. 

Bird of the Year is once a year. Naturing is every day.

Vote for five birds, sure, but be naturing all the other days whenever you can. Here’s some ways:  

➜ Flock over to the DOC website and discover easy ways to back birds and their habitats, from big nationwide wins to little backyard boosts. 

➜ Nod respectfully to the tūī doing a DJ set of coughs, squeaks and bell chimes in your backyard. 

➜ Carefully tidy up any rubbish in the park or near the water, because even seagulls appreciate a Michelin-star dining experience. 

➜ Admire the pūkeko’s absolute confidence strutting across the road like it owns the joint. 

➜ Plant a native shrub or tree to give birds more food and shelter basically becoming a luxury Airbnb host for feathery tenants. 

➜ Forgive the gull, yes, even the one that nicked your hot chip in 2009. 

➜ Applaud the kererū attempting aerial acrobatics and instead crash-landing into a cabbage tree like a feathery bowling ball. 

➜ Set up a predator trap – think of it as a tiny fortress defending your feathery friends from sneaky stoats, rats, or possums. 

So go ahead, vote five times, campaign hard, make memes, and argue passionately over whether the takahē’s comeback story is more inspiring than the kōkako’s haunting song. 

But when the polls close, remember: the real winner is the bird you notice tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that. 

Vote five. Naturing every day. 

Always. Be. Naturing.

MIL OSI