Penguin of the year finalists: National Aquarium’s Mo, Martin and Burny vie for crown

Trickster and perennial bridesmaid Mo is a crowd-favourite in the running for penguin of the year. Photo / Supplied

It’s Mo’s year, surely.

After nearly 5000 votes for this year National Aquarium of New Zealand Penguin of the Year competition, three finalists have stood as tall as their little feet allow them.

On Thursday those top three of the 14 rehabilitated kororā/little blue penguins at Penguin Cove in Napier were announced as Mo, Martin and Burny.

Mo, 8, who was abandoned as a chick, is the perennial bridesmaid of the competition and has been here before.

He has been a finalist for the past three years, each time failing to swim away with the overall title, but there are strong signs that he may finally have the momentum to take out the crown.

Mo, whose trickster nature has won him naughty penguin of the month nine times, has been accused of stealing fish at feeding time, without any intention of eating the spoils.

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Mo also has a tendency towards the theatrical. If bumped by a fellow penguin, he has been known to throw himself to the floor, in a World Cup-worthy display of football dramatics.

National Aquarium staff have also noted Mo’s preference for a horizontal lifestyle, as he lies in most days and is only roused by the prospect of breakfast.

Martin, the boyfriend of fellow finalist Burny, enjoys a pastime of giving frights to his cove-mates. Photo / Supplied

Taking on Mo is 7-year-old Martin, who lives with the permanent damage of a predator attack to his flipper and is a first-time finalist for penguin of the year.

Martin is the boyfriend of fellow finalist Burny and is known to take issue with cove-mate Dave, because of a lasting difference of opinion.

Martin has a balanced nature, though of late has taken to jumping out of his burrow at other penguins when they walk past, delighting in giving frights to his cove-mates.

Burny is an independent bird who is not afraid of swimming after her dreams and the penguin of the year title. Photo / Supplied

Burny, 4, who suffered burns on her feet from a beach fire, was also a finalist in last year’s competition.

She is a strong, independent kororā, who prefers spending quality time with her flippered friends than with her boyfriend Martin.

Burny is also somewhat of a liberated bird, unchained to penguin convention, and once left her egg in the care of cove-mate Draco to pursue her feminist ideals.

Burny has a balanced nature, with three nominations for good and bad penguin of the month. She also holds her ground, having been known to steal some of Mo’s fish to teach the trickster a lesson or two.

Voting is now open for the three finalists at https://ift.tt/3yHVbBk. Final voting closes at 10pm on September 28 and the winner of penguin of the year will be announced on September 30.