KEY POINTS:
A bird described as small and drab has beaten flashier favourites the fantail and the tui, considered to be the frontrunners, to be named New Zealand's bird of the year .
Forest & Bird Advocacy Manager Kevin Hackwell said the grey warbler was the surprising recipient of the title of New Zealand's best-loved bird.
The small, drab, grey insectivores -- also known as the riroriro -- bet out favourites such as the fantail and the tui in the annual vote.
Mr Hackwell said it was great to see the more "subtle charms" of the grey warbler take top spot this time.
The results of the annual Forest and Bird poll for the Bird of the Year came after an Auckland radio presenter launched a PR campaign for the littlest contender.
Graeme Hill's campaign sent the grey warbler from fifth place to first in the last days of the internet voting, which closed yesterday.
"People call grey warblers dull, but they're the subconscious sound of New Zealand," he said.
"Yet it is so tiny and secretive that it is rarely seen".
"And when it sings, the grey warbler puts in so much effort it literally shakes".
Hill complained when the wood pigeon -- "that big fat green doofus" -- was leading the vote, and called for votes for the warblers.
Found throughout New Zealand, the grey warbler is New Zealand's lightest bird (equal with the rifleman) measuring 11cm in length and weighing just 6.5 grams -- one-third the weight of a mouse.
The grey warbler's tiny size and grey feathers mean the grey warbler is heard more often than seen and its rising and falling song is often noted as a sign of the arrival of spring.
Only the male birds sing this song, which served as a seasonal reminder to Maori to plant their crops.
The top 10 in Bird of the Year 2007:
1. Grey warbler/riroriro
2. Kereru/wood pigeon
3. Tui
4. Black-fronted tern
5. Kakapo
6. Fantail iwakawaka
7. Kea
8. Pukeko
9. Morepork/ruru
10. Kokako, kiwi
- NZPA
