Bird once world’s rarest wins New Zealand’s Bird of the Year

• The black robin has been named New Zealand's Bird of the Year after securing more than 25,000 votes in a record-breaking competition.
• Once the world's rarest bird, the species was reduced to just five in the 1970s, including only one breeding pair.
• A pioneering breeding programme using foster species brought the bird back from the brink, growing the population to around 350 adults.
• All living black robins descend from the original pair, but the species remains classified as nationally critical as their island habitats near capacity.
• The flightless kākāpō parrot came second in the annual contest with 19,445 votes, followed by the kārearea falcon in third place.

IN FULL

Black robin which was once world's rarest bird wins NZ's prestigious Bird of the Year