Ellen Rykers: Forest and Bird spokesperson on Kakapo being left off Bird of the Year voting options - Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

A key player has bowed out of the running for Bird of the Year.

Voting opens today for the annual competition, aiming to raise awareness of our native birds.

But two-time winner the Kakapo is not part of the 2022 competition.

Neither is the controversial 2021 winner the Pekapeka, or the Long Tailed Bat running this year either.

Forest and Bird's Ellen Rykers says it's important to give other contenders a shot.

"I guess it comes back to the ultimate purpose of Bird of the Year, and that's to raise awareness for all of our awesome native species. And we want to keep it fresh and interesting, so it'd be nice to share the spotlight that Kakapo enjoy so much with some of our other amazing birds."

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