Hākoakoa/Skua BOTY
@hakoakoa-boty.bsky.social
You could say we’re evolution’s concierge. You could say we’re flexible foragers with a complicated backstory. But with crashing population and weak protection, you’ve got to say we’re a bird in serious trouble.
We're 46! Our goal was to lift this manu toa out of the cellar, which everybody who voted Hākoakoa helped us do. In a year when all birds earned more votes (total compared to #1 votes in 2024), we beat the rate of the rising tide by a factor of 1.65 - 7th highest overachiever! #skuasforever
This is an all Skuas & Elephant Seals channel today. None of the species who haul up on southern shores to raise their young have an easy time of it. These creatures & their places should be valued & protected simply because they are. Also, VOTE SKUA #birdoftheyear2025 @forestandbird.bsky.social
Okay folks, this is our closing argument. We here at Team Hākoakoa think the photo speaks for itself but ask yourself: can YOU steal milk from the mouth of an Elephant Seal? SKUAS CAN. Vote Hākoakoa for Bird of the Year. #skuasforever #birdoftheyear2025 @forestandbird.bsky.social
Vote for a Bird with the fighting spirit we need in 2025, vote SKUA for Bird of the Year. #skuasforever #birdoftheyear2025 @forestandbird.bsky.social
Kia ora e te whānau. Voting wraps up tomorrow at 5pm (AoNZ time! Note the clock change!). If you've not voted yet, now is the time to chose the ruggedly handsome sea-faring flyer who defends his family and Gets the Job Done. Vote Hākoakoa | Skua for #birdoftheyear2025 @forestandbird.bsky.social
Ae, captain. Under my flag, I will live in freedom. And I'll vote SKUA for #birdoftheyear2025 @forestandbird.bsky.social #skuasforever #CaptainHarlock
Confused by all the talk of vote validation? 🗳️We can't let spam-bots decide who gets the crown! 🤖 So we can only count verified votes. Once you've submitted your picks, you're just a click away from verification. ✅ #BOTY2025 #BirdoftheYear2025 #BirdoftheYear #NZBirdoftheYear
Top predators matter. Skuas matter. The whole food web depends on them doing their job just as much as it depends on primary producers. Vote for a bird who lives wild & free. Vote skua #birdoftheyear2025 @forestandbird.bsky.social
What counts is who you give it to. Vote SKUA #birdoftheyear2025 #skua #skuasforever @forestandbird.bsky.social
We're a week into voting with one more to go, whānau ngā manu. Don't do something you might later regret. Vote SKUA for #birdoftheyear2025 @forestandbird.bsky.social
Vote for the bird as BOLD and ORIGINAL as you are. Vote Hākoakoa #birdoftheyear2025 @forestandbird.bsky.social
This year, vote for the hero you need. Vote Hākoakoa | Skua Bird of the Year. #birdoftheyear2025 @forestandbird.bsky.social
Life is hard at sea. All seabirds are remarkable survivors, and many of them need better help than humans are providing. Vote Hākoakoa #birdoftheyear2025 but please, then stay engaged. Find out more about what you can do. @forestandbird.bsky.social
🤩 That's us! Look at that handsome bird! Let's see... Tarāpuka? Tarāpunga? Koekoeā? Toroa? Who else is shouty?
Melanie Newfield@melanienewfield.bsky.social · 11mo agoI decided to get behind #Birdoftheyear2025 so I've written a guide and done some drawings for 9 underappreciated birds. Here's one for hākoakoa #skua since I was inspired by @hakoakoa-boty.bsky.social The guide comes out tomorrow. Can you guess which other birds are on my list?
Macquarie Island is now pest-free, but for a time, Skuas were the ones on the job. Pest eradication practices took a toll on Skuas, but plants and birds are both rebounding. Vote for the bird who was there for you when you didn't even know it. Vote SKUA #birdoftheyear2025 @forestandbird.bsky.social
Don't put me on a pedestal, just vote SKUA #birdoftheyear2025 #skuaforever @forestandbird.bsky.social
Vote for the bird who's better than you think. Vote Skua #birdoftheyear2025 @forestandbird.bsky.social
Looks like a cozy nest site to me. Sensible parents, skuas make their nests near where the resources are - colonies of other birds and seals. Vote for the bird that puts family first - vote Hākoakoa Skua for #birdoftheyear2025 #skua #skuasforever @forestandbird.bsky.social
It's family values day here at Team Hākoakoa. You'll struggle to find a bird more devoted to its chicks than Skua. Just look at that fuzzy brown face. How could you not vote Skua for #birdoftheyear2025? #Skua @forestandbird.bsky.social
Vote Skua for Bird of the Year. We're an evolutionary masterpiece. #birdoftheyear2025 #skuaforever @forestandbird.bsky.social
After an online course by somebody who knows more than we do about this stuff (@sarahmackattack.bsky.social) we are getting our sticker game into gear. Loud, proud, skua.
It's almost time! @forestandbird.bsky.social #birdoftheyear2025 voting starts Monday, the 15th. A friendly reminder from the folks here at Team Hākoakoa to make your votes count. Vote SKUA.
Bird books say we're "large, noisy and aggressive” to which we say: you got a problem with that? Somebody’s gotta clean up the carcasses and sort the weak from the strong. Vote Hākoakoa Subantarctic Skua for Bird of the Year. #skua #forestandbird #birdoftheyear2025 Photo by Ross Brooks
