One of New Zealand’s most competitive contests has seen a shy yellow-eyed penguin emerge victorious in the title of Bird of the Year.
The competition, which has had its fair share of controversy in the past, including accusations of cheating and foreign meddling, attracted over 50,000 voters.
Comedian John Oliver supported the pūteketeke last year by dressing up as the bird and launching an impressive campaign that included a burnt-orange mullet. As a result, the pūteketeke emerged victorious.
The hoiho penguin, thought to be among the rarest in the world, is exclusive to New Zealand.
The competition’s organizer, Forest & Bird, reports that the hoiho received 6,328 votes, more than 5,000 votes more than the Karure Chatham Island black robin, which came in second.
The hoiho has swept the tournament twice, having won it once before in 2019—the year accusations surfaced that the hoiho had won only because of Russian meddling.
Russia was the source of hundreds of votes for the bird; however, Forest & Bird stated that these were probably not fraudulent votes but rather those from Russian ornithologists.
There were also allegations in 2018 that Australians attempted to rig the competition in favor of the shag, a cormorant species.
