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Bird of the Year
A third of New Zealand's birds are in serious trouble, and the annual Bird of the Year competition is an attempt to drum up support for them. Though the kea and kererū have taken an early lead, there's plenty of time for an upset before the winner is declared on October 23.
Who will take the crown this year? The kōkakō won in 2016, and the bar-tailed godwit before that. Below, a selection of stories about the less-famous birds in the line-up. Vote here!
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Away with the fairies
The New Zealand fairy tern is our rarest breeding bird. Each season it must prevail over its predators, the summer rush of beach-goers, and the incoming tide, to hatch and fledge.
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A delicate balance
Deep in the Mackenzie Basin, the world’s rarest wading bird roams free in the wild, unaware that behind the scenes, a handful of people are trying to solve a problem: how to protect a species that refuses to be contained?
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Inside the many minds of the octopus
Meet Dave: he has nine brains, one in his mantle, and one in each arm. He also has three hearts; one for each set of gills, and one for the rest of him. Sixty per cent of Dave's neurons are in his tentacles. He's literally thinking on his feet.
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