Australian bird of the year 2025 winner announcement – live
Key eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureTawny frogmouth is the 2025 bird of the yearVoters have finally declared the tawny frogmouth their bird of the year, after relegating it to second place three times in a row.More than 310,000 votes were cast after polling opened on 6 October and the tawny led the charge from the start, despite being hotly and persistently pursued by two cockatoos: the Baudin’s black cockatoo and the ever-popular gang-gang.A tawny frogmouth win, however, was far from guaranteed. It was voted runner-up in 2019, 2021 and 2023. It also led the vote in the final stages of the 2023 competition, only to watch the swift parrot soar past on the final day.This year, 11,851 votes were cast for the tawny in the final round, comprehensively awarding it first place ahead of the Baudin’s black cockatoo, which came in second with 7,688 votes, and the gang-gang, coming in third for the third time, with 6,256 votes.Read the full story here:ShareUpdated at 22.30 EDTAll right folks, the moment is nearly upon us. Guardian Australia’s editor, Lenore Taylor, has entered the livestream. We’re nearly there.ShareUpdated at 22.28 EDTGuardian Australia’s Matilda Boseley wasn’t the only fan of the Australian pelican – Mary from Queensland also nominated it. She told us:
The spectacular Australian pelican is an awesome bird. With a wingspan up to 3m it’s Australia’s largest flying bird and has the longest bill in the world! It has a fabulous lifestyle – breeding communally on remote islands or vast inland wetlands. It hangs out with its mates and fishes communally. A spectacular bird!
ShareUpdated at 22.27 EDTThere were lots of birds that you all loved that didn’t make it into the top 10. Here are some of them.Schmelks, from Victoria, nominated the apostlebird:
They look straight out of Angry Birds, and get about in garrulous little gangs. Talkative, bold, clownlike behaviours and just about the funniest thing you can see. Having your campsite mobbed by them is an utter delight.
Wannabeabago, of Lismore, NSW, spoke in favour of the yellow-tailed black cockatoo:
It’s such a majestic bird. I love the sound of its cry as it flies overhead … it gives me goosebumps. Its shyness … it’s just beautiful really. It needs protecting.
The currawong got Anthony from Erskineville’s nomination:
Because they greet me and everyone on our street every night at sunset with their beautiful calls.
A currawong on Lord Howe Island. Photograph: Blake Sharp-Wiggins/The GuardianZoe, of Scotts Head, NSW, put the pied oystercatcher forward:
They are along our beach so make me happy every day as they walk about looking busy and important.
ShareUpdated at 22.25 EDTTop 10 spotlight: wedge-tailed eagleOne of the largest birds of prey in the world – pairs have been seen working together to take down a kangaroo – the wedgie’s reputation as a sheep killer is somewhat overstated yet we still see horrific mass poisonings. Once persecution stops, these seriously impressive beasts start to make a comeback.Reader Alex from NSW explained what makes them so great:
The wedge-tailed eagle is majestic and wise. It soars high above the chaos below with a balance of strength and grace. It brings a deep connection to land and a responsibility to protect it. It offers protection and guidance.
The wedge-tailed eagle. Photograph: Doc Baldwin/Getty ImagesShareUpdated at 22.11 EDTAnd we’re back! Phew!ShareWe may have a bit of a sound glitch there on the livestream – hold fast, folks, I’m told there’s troubleshooting occurring.ShareTop 10 spotlight: spotted pardaloteThey’re not terribly well known but, once seen, these little gems really enchant those who notice them. They feed quietly on eucalypt leaves but nest in tunnels they excavate to escape larger, more aggressive species. They have a sweet but surprisingly loud call that some think sounds as though they’re saying “Miss Piggy”.A reader going by the name of Love the Pardalote in Victoria nominated the pardalote, saying:
Tiny in size but huge in stature, the spotted pardalote’s beautiful plumage and calls are well worthy of recognition.
The spotted pardalote. Photograph: Auscape/Universal Images Group/Getty ImagesShareUpdated at 22.12 EDTTop 10 spotlight: tawny frogmouthThe poor old tawny frogmouth has been the bridesmaid for the past three bird of the year votes. What does this adorable and charismatic muppet have to do to get over the line? Quite common across Australia, it relies on looking like a lump of dead wood to avoid detection during the day. But enough people have noticed it for researchers to nominate it the world’s most Instagrammable bird.Sallym, Sydney, put it simply in her nomination:
Look at it, it’s awesome!
This year, there really has been a sense that it might be tawny time – perhaps encapsulated best by this Instagram account, Justice for Frogmouths, that appeared just as the poll kicked off.Allow Instagram content?This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click ‘Allow and continue’.ShareUpdated at 22.01 EDTTop 10 spotlight: willie wagtailA once-ubiquitous backyard bird, the willie wagtail is hyperactive, always on the move, sometimes flitting out to snatch the insects we disturb as we walk by. No wonder it was voted Australia’s favourite bird in a 1908 vote. But data is showing a drastic decline in all capital cities except Perth.George Karpathakis, from Dianella, WA, nominated the willie wagtail because:
It has a soul, it’s brave, and a joy in any garden.
The willie wagtail. Photograph: Imogen Warren/Getty Images/iStockphotoWe got so many reader nominations this year that it was a mammoth job whittling the list down to 50. In this episode of Full Story, Guardian Australia deputy editors Gabrielle Jackson and Patrick Keneally and BirdLife Australia’s Sean Dooley discussed with Reged Ahmad what bird of the year means to us, and some of you tell us what it means to you, too:ShareUpdated at 22.00 EDTAustralians vote on partisan lines for their state birdsNick EvershedWhen looking at the voting trends, we took a look at the vote by location. During the poll we collect IP addresses for security purposes (the poll has not been without hacking controversies!) and this data can also be used to get a rough location for votes, with a few caveats. The location is based on the location of the internet service provider, rather than the location of the user, and so you might have some votes from the ACT which would show up as NSW based on this method. It is also possible to hide your IP address using a VPN.Regardless, the analysis of first-round votes shows an interesting trend – voting on partisan state lines:.In Western Australia, the top bird was Baudin’s black cockatoo, which is endemic to south-western WA.In Queensland, the Bush stone-curlew was No 1. While the curlew is not endemic to Queensland, a good part of its range is there.In Tasmania, not surprisingly, the biggest vote was for the turbo-chook, the Tasmanian native hen.And in the ACT we see a strong vote for the gang-gang cockatoo, the faunal emblem of the ACT.Voters in NSW, Victoria and South Australia all went for the tawny frogmouth.The mighty turbo chook. Illustration: First Dog on the Moon/The GuardianShareUpdated at 21.54 EDTTop 10 spotlight: gang-gang cockatooTop three in the past two bird of the year votes, this adorable small cockatoo has a distinctive call that sounds like a creaky door. While it can still be found in the suburbs of Canberra, where it is the bird emblem of the Australian Capital Territory, the species is in steep decline due to native forest logging and bushfires, leading to its listing as nationally endangered in 2022.Cate, NSW, represented the gang-gang gang when she nominated them for bird of the year, saying:
They are beautiful, full of character, rare and we are privileged to live where they live
Independent federal senator David Pocock also backed the gang-gang in this year’s poll:ShareUpdated at 21.55 EDTTop 10 spotlight: laughing kookaburraIs there any more internationally famous Australian sound than the infectious laughter of the kookaburra? While we may smile when a group of our largest kingfishers start calling, it isn’t actually for comic effect but to let other kookaburras know they had better back off – this turf’s occupied.Jill Woodlands, of Whyalla, explains why she nominated the kookaburra:
Iconic, nostalgic, their laugh takes me right back to being a kid again, full of wonder. It’s a bird that stops me in my tracks.
The laughing kookaburra. Photograph: Joe Hinchliffe/The GuardianShareUpdated at 21.55 EDTIf you want to watch the livestream on YouTube, you can find it here, and if you prefer Instagram, head over here.We’ve also got a TikTok stream and a Facebook live. Or just hang out with me here!ShareUpdated at 21.41 EDTTop 10 spotlight: the little penguinThe little penguin might be the smallest of the world’s penguins but this doesn’t mean it isn’t bursting with an oversized personality. While the famous colony at Phillip Island’s Penguin Parade are doing well, especially since all foxes were eradicated from the island, other colonies, particularly in WA, are in serious danger of disappearing due to coastal development, tourism pressures and rising water temperatures.Claudio from Melbourne was a nominator of the little penguin and said:
It’s so cute! Like many people, I have fond childhood memories of going to the St Kilda pier at sunset to see the penguins hop out of the water and waddle around on the rocks. I feel so lucky that we share our city and bay with them.
The little penguin. Photograph: Getty Images/iStockphotoShareUpdated at 21.46 EDTThe livestream is live! Readers, refresh your browsers. You should see the video at the top of the page, where you can watch and read along with the results.ShareAnother reader, Carole, has got in touch to explain why she voted for the bush stone-curlew – though she admits she is afraid the tawny frogmouth may take the crown.She says:
I’m on one of the Southern Moreton Bay islands and they are flourishing here – if they are not our official emblem, they should be. I defy anyone to name a bird that has more personality, spunk or quirkiness or one that brings as much joy to so many people.
The bush stone-curlew. Photograph: Frank Fichtmüller/Getty Images/iStockphotoShareUpdated at 21.39 EDTJourney to the top 10 – the tussle for the top of the pileNick EvershedThe tawny frogmouth was comfortably on top for most rounds of the poll this year, though Baudin’s black cockatoo came close in rounds six and seven. Hit the top ten button to highlight the most popular birds:However, fans of the branch-like frogmouth shouldn’t celebrate just yet. If you take a look at the voting in 2023 using the menu on the chart, you can see that the tawny was in a similarly strong position in the previous poll but lost the top spot when vote counts went dark in the final round.It wouldn’t be unusual for a bird like Baudin’s black cockatoo to take out the competition. The cockatoo is critically endangered and its remaining habitat is under threat from the expansion of bauxite mining in Western Australia. Voters have previously used the platform of the bird of the year poll to highlight endangered birds, such as the swift parrot, and the black-throated finch.There aren’t too many other surprises in the top 10, except perhaps the strong performance of the southern emu-wren. The emu-wren was absolutely not on my radar at all as it is a new entry into the poll this year. It is likely also benefiting from a strong environmentalist vote, as conservation advocates say it is facing an unprecedented threat from a planned rocket launch facility at Whalers Way, a conservation sanctuary about 32km from Port Lincoln in South Australia.ShareUpdated at 22.05 EDTTop 10 spotlight: southern emu-wrenNot some bizarre hybrid but a tiny bird weighing about six grams, with a long tail that looks like an emu feather. Extremely poor flyers, the Kangaroo Island sub-species suffered the worst impacts of any Australian bird in the black summer bushfires. Another threatened population on the Eyre Peninsula faces the threat of rockets fired from a launchpad proposed for one of their most important remaining sites.Therese Pedler, the chairperson of the Eyre Peninsula Environmental Protection Alliance in South Australia, told Guardian Australia:
They’re about the size of a matchbox with a tail about the size of a pencil … They’re the most striking, gorgeous little bird.
Pedler and other community conservation advocates are trying to raise the profile of the little wren. Southern emu-wrens are widely distributed along the Australian coastline but three sub-species in South Australia – the Eyre Peninsula, Mount Lofty Ranges and Kangaroo Island populations – have declined to a point that they are listed as endangered under Australia’s environment laws.Pedler said:
These little birds are so tiny and so vulnerable – they’ve got no chance against a rocket. It’s just ludicrous.
The southern emu-wren. Photograph: phototrip/Getty ImagesShareUpdated at 21.31 EDT
已发布: 2025-10-16 03:12:00
