🙌 All hail the golden penguin

The Bird of the Year competition is a fierce battle fought each year in New Zealand. Each of the winged nominees is represented by an official campaign manager, who rallies support in any way they can, typically opting for meme wars, celebrity endorsements, and even getting tattoos to prove their loyalty to their bird.

This year, 50,000 people cast their votes, and the hoiho, or yellow-eyed penguin, was crowned victorious.

🐧 Zoom out: Hoiho conservationists are ecstatic the penguin won this year’s competition, as rates of the rare bird continue to dwindle in the wild. “The campaign has raised awareness, but what we really hope is that it brings tangible support,” said Charlie Buchan, campaign manager for the first-place hoiho.