Bird of the Year 2011

Lunatic long-distance flier. Loves: Alaskan & NZ summers, arctic tundra, sea worms and swamp weed. Hates: vanishing Chinese wetlands

Campaign Manager: Maori Party Co-Leader, Pita Sharples.

Photo: Jordan Kappely

The bellbird is a musical wonder. It produces the sound of a thousand tiny whistles and flutes. The tui's song improves in its company.

Photo: Bellbird chick, David Brooks.

This duck dressed head to webbed feet in brown makes its mark with unusual vocals - growls for the females and high-pitched wheezy whistles for the males.

To find out why the Campbell Island Teal should be crowned Bird of the Year click here

Campaign Manager: Science Communications Student, Kimberley Collins.

You may think that this tribe of birds has been at war given their disfigured state - but on closer inspection you'll realise their broken wing display is a mere ruse to keep predators at bay. Crafty and cerebral to boot!

Photo: Jordan Kappely

This flycatcher is a fastidious nest builder – scrutinising cobwebs, mossy greens and skeletons of leaves before constructing its snug, fern-lined home.

Campaign Manager: Forest & Bird's Conservation Advocate, Nic Toki.

Photo: Craig Mckenzie

These dive-bombing daredevils are equipped with bubble-wrapping on their chest and face, no external nostrils and transformer eyes that change shape to help them see underwater. Amaze-balls.

This rare little bird has a most colourful love life. They’re the only bird known to mate face to face. One bird apparently dated a heron!!

Photo: Steve Attwood

An elegant gent of the sky, the kahu has no desire to trumpet its handsome good-looks, or dashing courtship display in petty popularity contests.

Photo: Jordan Kappely

Once you could shake a tree and a kakapo would fall out. Now, there's fewer than 150 birds. We’re all cheering for this inquisitive flightless parrot as it waddles back from the brink of extinction.

Campaign Manager: Writer Jolisa Gracewood.

Famous for fronting the $20 note, karearea are also known for their aerial acrobatics. They have a maximum speed of 230km/hr and can catch their prey mid-flight, making this falcon the daredevil of the air.

Campaign Manager: Comedian Raybon Kan.

Photo: Craig McKenzie

Clumsy, drunk, gluttenous and glamorous, the kereru exudes a charming ennui, that's a nice counterpoint to the industrious verve commonly observed in the bird-world.

Campaign Manager: Actress Jennifer Ward-Lealand

Photo: Craig McKenzie

The kingfisher's love of alone time and lofty vantage points gives them that air of mystery. Just don't get too close though - their breath smells of crabs and lizards.

Photo: Nga Manu

Kokako are the songsters of the forest with a loud, clear, bell-like call. Pairs are often heard singing a long, harmonious duet before dawn, with other birds joining in the choir. We're helping to return them to forests where they once roamed.

Campaign Manager: Columnist and Speech-writer David Slack.

Photo: Dave Hallett

A little known fact about our robins is they're one of our most wakeful birds, so they've got plenty of time to - greet passing trampers (they sometimes think their shoelaces are worms) and work on their counting abilities. The Animal Health Board give 10 reasons why it should be named Bird of the Year.

Campaign Manager: Animal Health Board.

This purple-suited polygamist has almost reached plague proportions. Roadside, swampside, in craft stores and on cards, the pukeko is no doubt our honorary national bird.

Rock wrens are the coolest bird in New Zealand, literally. Our only truly alpine bird, cute, small, bouncy, hardy and always to be found in a scenic "100% Pure" style spot. "You know you’ve been somewhere special when you’ve seen a rock wren" says campaign manager, Lauren Schaer.

Campaign manager: Lauren Schaer

These elegant, long legged waders once provided over-sized spoons for Aborigines. Since establishing themselves here in the 1930s they've caught the attention of cutlery enthusiasts, birders and the like. Samantha Lee thinks of the Royal Spoonbill as "...the Lady Gaga/David Bowie of the bird world..."read more of her thoughts here.

Photo: Craig Mckenzie

A unruffled character with a distinctive shrieking call, the tieke is part of an ancient group of birds that includes the long-extinct huia.

See the tieke's campaign video here

Campaign Manager: Jackson James Wood

Photo: Marguerite Quinn

This piratical bird has a habit of targeting birds with a bellyful and chasing them into a vomitous state. Perhaps Te Radar can rescue it from polling in the bottom ten?

A magnificent seabird that looks a little like a punched-up boxer. This bird has a grim population outlook because of fishing threats, such as longlining. We're working hard to save them.

Campaign Manager: Forest & Bird's Seabird Advocate, Karen Baird.

Photo: Terry Greene

This small bobular bird can often be seen decorating forest branches.

A scatty, brown hen with a sophisticated criminal mind. The weka was nearly triumphant last year. Is this its year to shine?

Photo: Sabine Bernert

Also known as the hoiho, or noise shouter in Māori, the yellow-eyed penguin is one of the world’s rarest penguin species. With a population of around 6000-7000, it’s now only seen on the south-east coast of New Zealand’s South Island and a few offshore islands. If you are still thinking about why the fantastic yellow-eyed penguin deserves your vote, check out this great video from The Co-operative Bank or read their blog

Campaign manager: The Co-operative Bank.

Photo: Craig McKenzie