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@samikelsh.bsky.social Sep 21, 2026, 8:55 PM

Congratulations to the New Zealand Bird of the Year for 2026, the lovely little karure black robin! As someone who loves robins a Normal Amount, I couldn't be more pleased for these absolutely darling bobbins, who also represent an incredible success in bird population recovery!

#boty2026 #birb

Watercolour illustration of a karure black robin, winner of this year’s Bird of the Year competition for Aotearoa New Zealand

@lauriewinkless.bsky.social Sep 11, 2026, 2:36 AM

Just saw the current leaderboard for #BOTY2026 - thanks @forestandbird.bsky.social for keeping us updated! Pīwakawaka is currently (as of 5 hours ago) in #9

Top five birds on the leaderboard
Kākāpō, Floor Birds
Karure black robin, Shy Birds
Kārearea New Zealand falcon, High Birds
Kea, High Birds
Takahē, Floor Birds

@lauriewinkless.bsky.social Sep 6, 2026, 11:19 PM

Small. Loud. Precise. Expressive. Found in the Hutt.

MSL is #TeamPīwakawaka. What about you?

Cast your vote here 👇

www.birdoftheyear.org.nz

#BirdOfTheYear2026 @forestandbird.bsky.social #BOTY2026

[Artwork by RunBabyRun Studio on Etsy. It coincidentally matches MSL's brand colours!]

a cartoon depiction of a piwakawaka. Its tail is open and it has adopted a sassy stance. In its feet are very cool trainers. The whole image is in black, white, orange and shaded of beige

@lauriewinkless.bsky.social Sep 6, 2026, 11:10 PM

- The name pīwakawaka is onomatopoeic, coming from its distinctive chattering call. We appreciate that this leaves no room for misinterpretation.
- It's also fiercely territorial, which we respect. Metrologists will always fight for the ‘correct’ answer to any measurement question. #BOTY2026

an aerial view of a fantail on the grass. Its tail is open

@lauriewinkless.bsky.social Sep 6, 2026, 11:07 PM

MSL as all about accuracy, precision and repeatability, and we feel that few birds embody that better than the pīwakawaka. It catches insects mid-air using hundreds of rapid, split-second course corrections every day, all thanks to its astonishing fan-like tail.
#TeamPīwakawaka #BOTY2026

piwakawaka - a small round bird, with an orang/yellow belly, brown, black and white body, and a spectacular black and white fan-like tail - sits on a twig

@lauriewinkless.bsky.social Sep 6, 2026, 11:05 PM

🥁🥁🥁 Drumroll, please... 🥁🥁🥁

MSL's choice for Bird of the Year for 2026 is the pīwakawaka (fantail)!

#BirdOfTheYear2026 #TeamPiwakawaka @forestandbird.bsky.social #BOTY2026

a NZ fantail, with its distinctive white and black plumage, and a tail that is fully open. Its remarkable eyebrows are on show too, as it regards the viewer from dense bush

@lauriewinkless.bsky.social Sep 6, 2026, 10:56 PM

5. Weka - Some MSL-ers argued that this would make a good “Standard Bird” for New Zealand – it is terrestrial, bush-dwelling and modest. Some saw commonalities between the Weka and metrologists – easily overlooked, persistent, and big fans of "borrowing" shiny things 😅 #BOTY2026

a weka - round, brown bird with textured plumage and strong short legs

@lauriewinkless.bsky.social Sep 6, 2026, 10:46 PM

MSL doesn't have an organisational Bluesky account, so I'm being cheeky and using my own to share our campaign / bird of choice for 2026.

But, before I do that, here's the MSL shortlist, and our nerdy reasoning as to why each bird was in the running. #BOTY2026

@lauriewinkless.bsky.social Sep 6, 2026, 10:36 PM

The team of nearly 40 scientists, technicians and engineers at MSL are typically most interested in the physical sciences. But this year, we've decided to take a stand on a conservation matter. Specifically, we've chosen a side in @forestandbird.bsky.social's Bird of the Year competition. #BOTY2026