Bird of the Year 2011

This mottled-brown swamp dweller is a 'genius of the bog'. It freezes when a threat is detected, in an erect posture with its bill pointing skyward.

This gun-slinging newcomer is New Zealand's newest native bird. It ranked 6th last year and hopes to be top of the pops in 2011.

All black garb but by the early 1980’s it was only just managing to put a 22-member Test squad together. But with careful coaching by the Department of Conservation, the long-legged squad is slowly developing more depth.

This bird had only five birds to its name back in 1980. Yes, five! Luckily one of these birds - Old Blue - was an unstoppable egg laying machine. Tomtits came to the party by parenting many of her clutches. Now, we have around 250 Black Robins living in the Chathams. Phew. Thank-you Old Blue!

In her blog Cousin Love , actress Lisa Chappell channels the spirit of a robin that's dateless and despairing of the small dating scene.

These penguins all wear a pair of jaunty yellow eyebrows. We have four types that live in our waters - Snares, Rockhopper, Erect crested and Fiordland crested.

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!

Help! This bird only has 43 birds to its name. It’s an easily frightened beach-goer whose nesting sites are often trampled by wheel, foot or paw.

This brown-suited bird is our only true warbler - however its song is nothing to sing about.

When Darwin first clapped eyes on a grey noddy, all he could spout was abusive vitriol. “The noddies, as their name expresses, are silly little creatures.” This is downright lies. In fact they're so smart they've colonised many a island plop in the middle of a marine reserve - Volkner rocks, Sugarloaf and the Kermadec islands - to name a few.

When it comes to grace and elegance the white heron (kotuku) leaves the other Bird of the Year contenders to dust. It's a shame about their guttural call.

Call: White-faced heron. Photo:Kotuku, Jordan Kappely

This endangered seabird nests in the snowy mountains of Kaikoura to escape its predators. Now it has a special sanctuary to help boost its numbers!

This forest parrot is focusing its campaign on its most cherished body part - its deep red pits. A quick flash and people are bewitched.

The great people at Wellington's ZEALANDIA ecosanctuary and our own Nic Vallance are both convinced the kaka is only bird worth voting for in this election, check our why they think so at their blog Playbird.

Photo: David St George

Cheeky, chatty and energetic, these fluorescent green parrots are no shrinking violets. Crowned 2010 winner, the kakariki could be just the show bird to make history with back-to-back wins.

Watch singer songwriter Seth Hapu's rousing campaign speech for the kakariki .

A bogan of a bird. Their penchant for petty vandalism and sandwich snatching has meant they've fared poorly in the polls

Reporter for TV3, Rachel Smalley throws her celebrity weight behind this misunderstood creature . Read her campaign pitch .

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

Photo: Nga Manu

This dignified blue wattled bird has a minimalist, operatic five-note song that makes the tui's song seem like an elaborate train wreck.

Photo: Simon Fordham

Hats off to this little bird for its remarkable egg-laying abilities. They lay the largest egg relative to their size in the bird world.It is the equivalent of a human giving birth to a six year old. Wowser!!

See Huapai's District School's campaign video for this Little spotted battler

This grass-eating bird has benefited from the farming boom in New Zealand. Once uncommon, their numbers have leapt since European colonisation.

It's surprising this blue suited polygamist has never been crowned Bird of the Year, given the sheer volume of art it has spawned. Perhaps its because it holds citizenship in several countries?

Photo: Richard Seaman

This small, bobular bird can be found decorating the alpine rocks of the South Island.

Photo: Craig McKenzie

Our most talented night musician can perform head-turning (270 degree) tricks and has wings that are specially feathered, so it's silent in flight.

Check out why Phil Goff, Leader of the Labour Party, thinks the the ruru should be this year's Bird of the Year, in his blog at Owls are us.

Photo by: Jordan Kappely

Hanging its wings out to dry, the shag appears to be looking for applause. Its underwater fishing skills are worth a clap. It's thought that perhaps their penchant for gobbling down stones helps them to reach great depths?

These heavy seabirds are clumsy on land, but majestic in the air. Their absence from the top 10 in previous Bird of the Year competitions makes this aerial acrobat an underbird for 2011.

This beefcake of a bird isn't mere poultry. For nigh on 1000 years, the muttonbird has been wildly misunderstood, however this year, it plans to show off its cerebral prowess and its charisma.

Photo: Dick Veitch

The tui is an extraordinary musical scrapbooker. It samples its sonic environment and incorporates it into its ever-changing song. It even sees the underlying beauty of street noise. Pizza hut jingles, ringtones, the sound of power tools - nothing is snubbed.

Tui Campaign Manager and Co-leader of the Green Party Russel Norman thinks that the Tui is not only the Bird of the Year but New Zealand's Next Top.....

Photo: Steve Attwood.

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

You would be pale too if you were fighting a losing battle against introduced predators. To make it worse, they sometimes act as unwitting foster parents for long-tailed cuckoo chicks.

Photo: Steve Attwood

This endangered bird is known as hoiho, or noise shouter in Maori because when one of the parents returns from a day's fishing the two parents will greet each other with noisy cries and gestures.

Campaign manager, Anton Oliver loves this noisy southern diver..