Thank you for joining us
And that’s where we’ll wrap up this live blog today. Thank you so much for hanging out with us to talk about birds. What better way to spend a spring lunchtime?
If you still haven’t got your fill, you can find all of our 2025 bird of the year stories, videos and more here. And if your favourite bird missed out? Well, never fear, bird of the year will be back in 2027 – and if the tawny can finally do it, any bird can. See you then!
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If you have realised since getting into bird of the year that, actually, you think birds are kind of amazing and now you’re starting to notice how many different species there are around you, allow me to recommend you get involved with BirdLife Australia’s Aussie Bird Count.
It’s a huge, national citizen science bird study and it begins this coming Monday 20 October. Just by sitting down outside for 20 minutes, wherever you are, you can help build a national picture of the prevalence and variety of birdlife around Australia.
Head over to the Aussie Bird Count website to find all the details on how to register and take part.
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Tawny facts! The Latin name for tawny frogmouths is Podargus strigoides, though as tawny expert Gisela Kaplan explains in her book (which I highly recommend reading), it is a rather unfairly negative name:
‘Podargus’ is the Latin term for a ‘gouty old man’ and that, presumably, refers to their short legs and their hobbling, shuffling walk. ‘Strigoides’, meaning ‘owl-like’, is a little more scientific.
Despite being nocturnal, tawnies, of course, are not owls (although definitely mistaken for them, as the name suggests). Frogmouths are considered their own family of birds these days, but are in any event more closely related to nightjars.
Like so many of us, I have a very soft spot for tawny frogmouths and have come to know a local family of them very well, as I wrote about here:
Here’s how the rankings broke down in the final vote:
Tawny frogmouth
Baudin’s black cockatoo
Gang-gang cockatoo
Willie wagtail
Bush stone-curlew
Laughing kookaburra
Southern emu-wren
Spotted pardalote
Wedge-tailed eagle
Little penguin
In celebration of the 2025 bird of the year, we’ve put together this beautiful poster featuring the art of Pete Cromer, that you can download for free here:
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Tawny frogmouth is the 2025 bird of the year
Voters 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:
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All right folks, the moment is nearly upon us. Guardian Australia’s editor, Lenore Taylor, has entered the livestream. We’re nearly there.
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Guardian 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!
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There 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.
Zoe, 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.
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Top 10 spotlight: wedge-tailed eagle
One 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.
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And we’re back! Phew!
We may have a bit of a sound glitch there on the livestream – hold fast, folks, I’m told there’s troubleshooting occurring.
Top 10 spotlight: spotted pardalote
They’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.
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Top 10 spotlight: tawny frogmouth
The 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.
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Top 10 spotlight: willie wagtail
A 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.
We 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:
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Australians vote on partisan lines for their state birds
When 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.
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Top 10 spotlight: gang-gang cockatoo
Top 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:
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Top 10 spotlight: laughing kookaburra
Is 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.
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If 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!
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Top 10 spotlight: the little penguin
The 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.
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The 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.
Another 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.
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Journey to the top 10 – the tussle for the top of the pile
The 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.
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Top 10 spotlight: southern emu-wren
Not 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.
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Heads up: the livestream ceremony is just a few minutes away from launch! You’ll be able to watch it here on the Guardian blog, as well as on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Links to come very shortly …
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Top 10 spotlight: the bush stone-curlew
With their haunting night-time wails, bulging, googly eyes and bodies propped up on ridiculously long legs, these nocturnal, ground-dwelling birds look like something out of a Halloween parade. Hammered by foxes and cats in the south, they are still thriving in the north and can even be found in Brisbane’s city centre.
Reader Jack from Brisbane nominated the bush stone-curlew, describing it as:
Dopey, anxious and adorable. They never seem to be in a sensible location, or quite sure of how they got there. And they scream like banshees.
On Tuesday, the New South Wales environment minister, Penny Sharpe, made a last-minute appeal for votes for the bush stone-curlew – in state parliament no less. The bush stone-curlew is endangered in NSW.
Sharpe urged people to “vote early and vote often” in what she called “the only ballot that counts this year”. When a colleague yelled their support for the powerful owl, Sharpe corrected them: “The powerful owl is out. It’s been eliminated.”
Sharpe also encourages people to take part in this year’s Aussie Bird Count, run by BirdLife Australia, and which starts next week. It’s Australia’s biggest citizen science project.
I highly recommend watching this clip if you haven’t already seen it:
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All hail the fallen magpie, by the way. Did their namesake football team’s excruciating loss in this year’s AFL grand final have anything to do with their cruel expulsion from the top 10 for the first time ever in this year’s poll? Or would a win have created even more of a backlash? We may never know.
Reader Nicholas Jones, of the ACT, was a nominator of the warbling wonder. He explained why he loves them:
They’re beautiful, and have the most beautiful song. Also, they just condense all their irritating behaviour into one month and spend the rest of the year just being great.
Writer Patrick Lenton also detailed his fondness for ole swoopy:
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Don’t really get birdwatching? Don’t know what the fuss is all about? Well, I’m surprised but delighted to find you here on this bird blog, and allow me to direct you to Birdlife Australia’s Sean Dooley and comedian Geraldine Hickey, who helped Guardian Australia’s Matilda Boseley get her self-confessed ADHDer brain around the concept of a past-time that’s often perceived to be about spending a long time sitting still.
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Journey to the top 10 – the biggest crashes
The flipside of the biggest climbers – we also have those birds who flew too close to the sun and plummeted to earth.
These are the birds that started strong but finished low. Hit the crash outs button to highlight them.
The rainbow lorikeet, a ubiquitous and loveable rascal, started out at 10th in the first round but slipped down the ranks over time to finish in 24th place. I don’t have any particular insight into what might be behind the decline, only that perhaps the campaigns for other birds drew in more of the vote as eliminations tightened the overall list.
Also on the crash out list we have the Australian pelican, owner of the longest beak and second-longest wings in our flock of 50. Guardian Australia’s pelican correspondent, Matilda Boseley, has speculated that this decline was in part due to her lapse in campaigning for the pelican over the weekend but it’s hard to say if this is the case from the data.
And finally we have the Australian magpie. The magpie won the inaugural bird of the year poll in 2017, so it’s not surprising to see its popularity wane as people switch their vote to give other birds a shot at the big time. The poll does also coincide with swooping season in Australia – but then so have previous polls, so this is unlikely to be a factor.
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Top 10 spotlight: the Baudin’s black cockatoo
Of all the black cockatoos across the country, none is more threatened than Western Australia’s Baudin’s (pronounced “bowdans”). Baudin’s is distinguished from the more familiar Carnaby’s black cockatoo by its longer bill, which it uses to extract seeds from marri and jarrah trees. Declining at an alarming rate due to the continuing loss of forests, researchers from BirdLife Australia and elsewhere recommended that the species be uplisted to critically endangered, which the Western Australian government has refused to do.
Reader db.sweeney, from Fremantle, nominated the Baudin’s black cockatoo and said:
They f*ckin’ rock. Very sociable, they love to hang out in our backyard and have loud yarns. Beautiful in an understated way ... and critically endangered, they need all the press they can get.
They do: the destruction of WA’s northern jarrah forests for bauxite mining will push the Baudin’s “to and beyond the brink of extinction” if governments allowed it to continue, conservationists have warned. Environment and climate correspondent Lisa Cox had the story here:
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I’ve just received an email from Mrs Harris, Miss Catherine, Mrs Walsh, Mr Beard and Miss Brown and the whole Kelly’s kids crew at Kelly’s Plains public school in Armidale, NSW.
They have been committed tawny frogmouth campaigners this year. They tell me:
We are on the edge of our seats waiting for the results. Of course, we are team Tawny Frogmouths all the way!!!!!! Yesterday we welcomed our new baby Tawny in our playground trees. Her mum and dad visit every year to build their nest and have new babies. We think it is a sign that this year is the Tawnies year. We are so busting to know and wish the results were at 11.30am.
Here’s some of their Facebook campaign for Team Tawny:
Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
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Journey to the top 10 – the biggest climbs
While we count down to the final reveal, I’m making the data explorer I’ve been using behind the scenes to track the vote available to everyone:
In this chart you can see every bird’s progress in the vote, measured by rank in each round, vote total in each round, and cumulative votes throughout the poll. You can also switch the chart to show the results of the 2023 poll to compare the data between the two competitions.
For the 2025 poll, it only shows rounds one to eight, and doesn’t include the final round as we don’t want to spoil the big announcement.
Before we get into the top 10 I’d like to highlight the birds which made the most progress over the course of the competition – the most impressive climbs (hit the big climbs button to see them highlighted!).
The little penguin had a great competition this year, starting out ranked 25 in the first round and finishing in round eight in an impressive eighth position. As a big penguin fan, this is a great result.
The other notable climb comes from the peregrine falcon. The speedy raptor came from 28th position in the first round to finish at 14th in the penultimate round, no doubt getting a boost in publicity as people watched Melbourne’s beloved falcon chicks fledge and learn to fly.
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Where we landed when voting went dark
Righto, time for a recap.
Bird of the year began with a longlist of 50 birds, nominated by you, lovely readers. You then voted for your favourite every day, and every day the lowest-ranking five birds were eliminated until 10 remained.
On the final day of voting, tallies were hidden, which means none of us know which bird has won the crown until the Guardian Australia editor, Lenore Taylor, opens the fateful envelope this afternoon.
What we do know, however, is the ranking of birds before voting went dark at 12.01am on Tuesday. This is where things stood at that time:
1. Tawny frogmouth
2. Baudin’s black cockatoo
3. Gang-gang cockatoo
4. Willie wagtail
5. Bush stone-curlew
6. Southern emu-wren
7. Laughing kookaburra
8. Little penguin
9. Spotted pardalote
10. Wedge-tailed eagle
Our bird-data gurus will bring you some analysis soon on how the voting played out this year, but what I can tell you is that this ranking was very consistent across the eight open voting rounds, though we did see a couple of curveballs.
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Welcome
Good morning folks and happy bird-day! Welcome to the 2025 bird of the year live blog.
I’m Stephanie Convery, your official bird correspondent for today (and unofficially every other day) and I’ll be with you as we count down to the moment we’ve all been waiting for: the announcement of the 2025 Guardian/BirdLife Australia bird of the year.
We’ve got all sorts of bird treats in store for you this morning, including intriguing bird facts, voting analysis and an update on some of the campaigns we’ve seen developing over the past few weeks.
Most importantly, we’ll be livestreaming the announcement ceremony from 12.30pm AEDT. You’ll be able to watch it here on the Guardian website and also on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. I’ll share those links with you soon.
So grab a coffee, join in the conversation in the comments, send me your avian inspired thoughts at stephanie.convery@theguardian.com or share the best bird stuff you’ve seen with me on Bluesky (@gingerandhoney.bsky.social) or X if you’re still using it (@gingerandhoney).
Let’s get stuck in!
