SARBN: Bird of the Year 2026
Trevor Hardaker
Hi all SARBN subscribers,
As I’m sure many of you are aware, every year BirdLife South Africa selects a Bird of the Year which is then put in the public spotlight where the particular species is showcased through a variety of media to make as many people as possible aware of the species, and also any conservation threats that it might face.
For the first time, they are now putting the selection of the Bird of the Year for 2026 out to a public vote and voting closes at the end of this month. There is a shortlist of 10 species that you can vote for and many of them are iconic and enigmatic species which will appeal to many people out there. I would like to encourage as many of you as possible to go and cast your vote – it’s really easy to do and it doesn’t take a lot of time at all! And you can obviously only vote once…J
While many of the larger and exciting species may appeal to you, I would just ask you to also carefully consider what the aim of this is all about. Ultimately, BLSA wants to put the spotlight on a species that really needs it, and make the public aware of it which will help raise awareness of that species and the plight that it currently faces and maybe even help to raise some important funds to go towards the conservation of that species.
I know that many of our species are in decline, but is there any species that needs the spotlight put on it in order to save it from the brink of extinction more than Botha’s Lark…?! It may not be a big and impressive raptor or a colourful gem but, with current estimates of the entire population of the species at only 340 individuals left, we all need to do everything we can to save this bird, as we really don’t want to lose it on our watch! It needs your vote…!
Nevertheless, whatever you finally decide, please go and cast your vote for your selected species anyway – it’s quick and easy. Pop on over to https://www.birdlife.org.za/vote-boty2026/ and make your mark…J
Kind regards
Trevor
Trevor Hardaker
Hi All,
One final request to please go and vote for the South African Bird of the Year 2026 at the following link - https://www.birdlife.org.za/vote-boty2026/
Voting closes at midnight tonight, so you only have a few more hours to cast your vote…
Currently, there are 3 species head and shoulders above the rest in terms of the number of votes, 2 majestic raptors (which are getting lots of attention and garnering appeal from the everyday man in the street) and one poor little brown job that is lagging behind slightly. However, it needs the birders to stand up for it as they are the only ones that will really understand the consequences if we lose this bird…!!!
Some quick facts about the 3 top “competitors” at the moment…
Black Harrier:
Global population: 1306 individuals (source BLSA Red Data book 2025)
Conservation Status: Endangered
South African endemic: No
Southern African endemic: Yes
Bearded Vulture:
Global population: less than 10 000 individuals globally (source IUCN website) and 334 individuals locally (source BLSA Red Data book 2025)
Conservation Status: Near Threatened (globally) and Critically Endangered (locally)
South African endemic: No
Southern African endemic: No
Botha’s Lark:
Global population: 340 individuals (source BLSA Red Data book 2025)
Conservation Status: Critically Endangered
South African endemic: Yes
Southern African endemic: Yes
Now, read those details again and then ask yourself which of those 3 species needs your vote the most…
Out of the 3, only one is a SOUTH African endemic. And that endemic is in the biggest trouble globally out of all 3 species!! Don’t vote for the bird that is most visually appealing for you, vote for the bird that is in the biggest need currently of being in the public spotlight and getting the conservation assistance that it so urgently requires.
Please, please, please… go and cast your vote for Botha’s Lark. The facts speak for themselves. It needs to be Bird of the Year 2026!
Please also share this widely with all of your contacts all around the world and encourage them all to go and vote for Botha’s Lark… before midnight tonight!
Thanks for your support of this initiative.
Kind regards
Trevor