- Conservation status
- In serious trouble
The current world leader at hide-and-seek, South Island Kōkako were last “officially” spotted in 1967 and subsequently declared extinct until it was seen again in 2007. We are on a mission to prove it’s still out there – and save it before it truly disappears over the event horizon of extinction!
Campaign Manager
Redvespa
New Zealanders.
Quiet achievers with distinctive stories that resonate around the world.
One of the drivers for this characteristic of our people is our isolation and, in the kōkā, you have a bird so quiet, so isolated, many wonder if it even exists at all.
In spite of that, it's also a bird whose story has carried around the world: quiet and invisible but known for the beauty of both the bird and its song.
We can't advocate for a change in our national bird, no matter how apt. But just imagine if the next chapter of this magnificent, mysterious bird's story is winning Bird of the Year.
Who knows? Maybe it will show up to claim the trophy.
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