Bird of the year is an antidote to an increasingly grim news cycle, and a celebration of Australia’s extraordinary and unique native wildlife. But it’s also a numbers game.

Taking history as a guide, more than 300,000 votes could be lodged over nine days, starting at 6am AEDT on 6 October, as people from across the globe vote for their favourite Australian bird species for 2025.

The victorious aviator (assuming it is a bird that flies – likely, but not guaranteed) will be elevated alongside previous winners: the Australian magpie, the black-throated finch, the superb fairy-wren and 2023’s champion, the swift parrot . ‘So tiny and so vulnerable’: what chance will one of Australia’s smallest birds have against a rocket launchpad? Read more

Australia has about 850 native bird species

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