In "beaking" news, the bat has decided to bow out of the 2022 Bird of the Year competition and give the underdog birds.... or "underbirds" a chance.

After causing a right flap in 2021, pekapeka-tou-roa / long-tailed bat is returning to his dark cosy cabbage tree hole for a cup of tea and a lie down.

Pekapeka has spent the past year completing Bird of the Year duties, including posing for Metalbird sculptures, taste testing Bennetto chocolate and trying on comfy Allbirds kicks.

There was quite a bit of scandal and controversy last year when bats sneaked into the Bird of the Year competition. Including the mammals in the competition certainly set the bat amongst the pigeons, so to speak, but it was a great opportunity for people to learn more about them. And if they'd had their own separate competition it would have been a bit boring as they only have two species.

The 2021 winner - Bat - has a news conference announcing the decision to bow out of the 2022 competition. Image: Forest & Bird.

Forest & Bird thanks pekapeka for their service to the manu of New Zealand.

So, the question is raised - will an actual bird win Bird of the Year this year?

Kākāpō takes hiatus to focus on family

This year, the kākāpō will not be running for Bird of the Year.

'Skraark! After two successful terms as your bird of the year, we are taking a step back from politics to focus on family,” says spokesbird Sirocco.

'We kākāpō are only 216 strong. We urgently need to focus on making more adorable kākāpō chicks, so we can grow our army of moss chickens and take over Aotearoa. Boom!”

The kākāpō has not ruled out making a return to politics in future.

Kākāpō. Photo: Department of Conservation.

This year, Forest & Bird is highlighting the under-appreciated and overlooked birds through an ‘underbirds' theme for New Zealand's most hotly anticipated avian election, Bird of the Year 2022.

'New Zealanders love getting behind an underdog – or in this case, underbird – and we want to channel that love to some of our feathered friends that may be overshadowed by their flashier, chonkier or louder cousins,” says Forest & Bird spokesperson Ellen Rykers.

Voting for Bird of the Year 2022 will open at 9am on Monday October 17 and closes at 5pm on Sunday October 30, with the winner announced on the morning of Monday October 31.

'Bird of the Year is a beloved fixture on the conservation calendar each year, and we're stoked to bring Aotearoa yet another banger battle of the birds,” says Ellen.

'We welcome anyone who's interested in joining the fun to back their favourite bird as campaign manager.”

Anyone can apply to be a Bird of the Year campaign manager here

'Of course, the election remains fundamentally democratic, but we encourage all voters to research candidates' policies, and maybe discover a cool new species that speaks to them.”

In 2021, Fiona Powell was the election campaign manager for the Weka in the Bird of the Year competition. Photo: Supplied.

Forest & Bird has developed a list of 21 underbirds to highlight some of these lesser-known candidates.

'These birds are not just overlooked in Bird of the Year, they're also underbirds in life, with many of them threatened with extinction,” says Ellen.

The certified underbirds were identified using an algorithm that takes into account votes in previous competitions, media coverage, and conservation status.

List of certified underbirds

Reef heron | Matuku moana
Subantarctic skua | Hākoakoa
Long-tailed cuckoo | Koekoeā
Red knot | Huahou
Spotless crake | Pūweto
Black-fronted tern | Tarapirohe
Banded rail | Moho pererū
Subantarctic snipe | Tutukiwi
Grey duck | Pārera
Scaup | Pāpango
New Zealand dabchick | Weweia
Pipit | Pīhoihoi
Whitehead | Pōpokotea
Australasian crested grebe | Pūteketeke
Fernbird | Mātātā
Shore plover | Tchūriwat' | Tuturuatu
Pied shag | Kāruhiruhi
Wrybill | Ngutu pare
Pīwauwau | Rock wren
Kakī | Black stilt

To become a Bird of the Year campaign manager go to www.forestandbird.org.nz/form/boty-campaign-managers-2022