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Black robin rules roost in New Zealand’s Bird of the Year vote

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France-Presse, A. (2026, September 21). Black robin rules roost in New Zealand’s Bird of the Year vote. South China Morning Post. https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3368206/black-robin-rules-roost-new-zealands-bird-year-vote?utm_source=rss_feed

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South China Morning Post · collected 2026-09-21 · by Agence France-Presse

Quick Summary

The black robin has won New Zealand’s Bird of the Year vote with over 26,000 votes, surpassing both the kakapo and karearea falcon. This critically endangered bird, which once had only five members left in 1980 including a single breeding female, now numbers about 350 and is native to the remote Chatham Islands. The annual competition, organized by Forest and Bird, has faced controversy in recent years.
Written by AI on 2026-09-21, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

In New Zealand's Bird of the Year vote, the black robin emerged victorious with over 26,000 votes, surpassing other native birds like the kakapo and karearea falcon. Native to the remote Chatham Islands, 800km (500 miles) off the South Island’s coast, this critically endangered bird was on the brink of extinction in 1980 with only five individuals left. Today, its population has grown to around 350 birds, thanks to conservation efforts. The annual competition is organized by Forest and Bird, an independent conservation organization, but it has faced controversy over the past decade regarding how species are chosen.

Written for “New Zealand Bird of the Year Vote” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 New Zealand Bird of the Year Vote
Environment · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
5
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 5 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
62/100
South China Morning Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Environment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-21 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Running correction rate · 8 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Agence France-Presse
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All 282 articles by Agence France-Presse →

Topics

Bird of the Year Forest and Bird New Zealand’s the South Island’s

Subjects

Forest and Bird ORG · 1× New Zealand’s GPE · 1× the South Island’s GPE · 1×

Narrative

The critically endangered bird received more than 26,000 votes, beating the kakapo and karearea falcon to the title The diminutive native lives on the remote Chatham Islands, 800km (500 miles) off the South Island’s east coast.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-21
2026-09-21 · South China Morning Post
Black robin rules roost in New Zealand’s Bird of the Year vote · assertive framing

Claims (5 extracted, 0 hedged)

Black robin rules roost in New Zealand’s Bird of the Year vote asserted
robin → rule → vote
The critically endangered bird received more than 26,000 votes, beating the kakapo and karearea falcon to the title The diminutive native lives on the remote Chatham Islands, 800km (500 miles) off the South Island’s east coast. asserted
native → receive → coast
In 1980, only five of the birds remained, including a single breeding female. asserted
five → remain → female
The black robin topped the pecking order ahead of the famed flightless parrot, the kakapo, and the native karearea falcon, which came in second and third. asserted
which → top → second
The annual Bird of the Year competition is run by independent conservation organisation Forest and Bird, and has been the subject of significant controversy in the past decade. asserted
competition → run → decade
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