New Zealand's 'goth bird' wins Bird of the Year — from five birds to champion

The black robin — a tiny all-black bird New Zealanders have nicknamed the "goth bird" — has won Bird of the Year 2026 with more than 25,000 votes, in a record 105,000-ballot election. The comeback behind the crown is the real story: by 1980, just five black robins remained in the world, with a single fertile female, Old Blue. Conservationists used cross-species fostering to rebuild the population to some 350 adults — and every living black robin today descends from Old Blue.