Bird of the Year 2025 is here: The Kārearea has landed!
The Kārearea swooped to victory in the 2025 Bird of the Year competition with a whopping 14,317 votes. The competition run by Forest & Bird celebrates our fauna to engage and education people on the challenges many of our unique manu face.
The Kārearea is one of 38 falcon species found worldwide and are endemic to New Zealand. They often represent strength, agility and fierceness, flying at speeds up to 200km/hour to hunt prey, which can be larger than itself! The Kārearea are featured on the NZ $20 bill and also won Forest & Bird's Bird of the Year competition in 2012.
The threats to Kārearea are not well understood but because they nest on the ground, cats, stoats and hedgehogs pose a risk to eggs and chicks. Loss of habitat and illegal shooting also impacts their population numbers.
How you can help:
- Keep nests safe by keeping cats indoors and controlling other predators on your property if there are Falcons in the area.
- Don’t shoot Falcons - if you are experiencing any issues with birds, contact DOC
- Learn more about our stunning Kārearea and other birds of prey through Wingspan Birds of Prey Trust, Kārearea Falcon Trust and Forest & Bird.
The design:
Our recycled plastic design is a natural red/brown colour that looks like wood (or chocolate!?) and will go with any outfit! Not often are waste streams brown but I sourced a range of natural coloured 3D printer waste from our friends at Kiwifil in anticipation of this year’s campaign. Shop now