New Zealand’s fastest bird, capable of flying 200km/h in its pursuit of prey, has been crowned bird of the year – a long-running annual competition that has previously been a lightning rod for scandal and hijinks.

The threatened kārearea is New Zealand’s only falcon. It is small and tawny, with impressive talons and large dark eyes. Kārearea are powerful aerial hunters and watch other birds, lizards or small mammals – sometimes larger than themselves – from a high vantage point before diving at high speed to snatch their prey.

“The kārearea is just a stunning bird,” Emma Blackburn, the chair of the Karearea Falcon Trust said. “It’s our only remaining endemic raptor and a really important part of our ecosystem.”

There are between roughly 5,000 to 8,000 kārearea left, according to the Department of Conservation. They live in forests around the country and nest on the ground, typically under boulders or fallen trees. The birds are “very vulnerable” to predation by introduced mammals such as cats, hedgehogs and stoats who feast on their ground-dwelling eggs, Blackburn said.

Habitat loss through tree logging and the conversion of tussocked grassland into pasture has also likely reduced populations. Meanwhile, the birds sometimes fly into power lines, buildings and nets over vines and trees, Blackburn said.

The bird of the year competition – run by conservation group Forest and Bird – was scandal-free this year but New Zealanders still took to social media to plug their preferred candidates. Each of the 73 contenders had their own campaign manager.

The contest was launched 20 years ago to raise awareness about the plight of New Zealand’s native birds, many of which are threatened, on the brink of extinction or already extinct due to the introduction of pests, human activity and declining habitats.

New Zealand’s only native mammals are bats and marine species, putting the spotlight on its birds, which are beloved – and often rare.

The two-week competition attracted more than 75,000 verified votes from 123 countries. The kārearea, which also won in 2012, joins last year’s winner, the hoiho and the kākāpō as the only birds to have taken out the poll twice.

New Zealand’s only alpine parrot, the cheeky kea came second, while the tiny karure, a small “goth” black robin found only on New Zealand’s Chatham Island came third.

The endangered kea is the world’s only alpine parrot. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

Over the years, the contest has been subject to scandal, from crowning a bat the winner in 2021, to accusations of Russian interference in 2019, and claims Australians attempted to rig the contest in favour of the shag in 2018.

In 2023, British-American comedian and talkshow host John Oliver ran a global campaign for the threatened pūteketeke – a grunting, puking bird with an unusual repertoire of mating rituals. His efforts were rewarded when the pūteketeke was crowned the 2023 winner.

“Behind the memes and mayhem is a serious message,” said Nicola Toki, Forest and Bird’s chief executive.

“This year’s top 10 [birds] matches the statistics exactly – 80% of them are in trouble,” she said, adding climate change, habitat loss and predators are pushing species towards extinction.

“People fall in love with these birds – and once they know their stories, they care, they advocate and they act.”