Wellington, New Zealand - Feathers are set to fly as New Zealand voters pick their favorite native bird, but a two-time favorite has been barred from the ballot.

Forest and Bird’s annual competition sees voters rank their five favorite native birds in a competition that aims to raise awareness of the threats facing New Zealand's species.

Two-time champion kākāpō and last year's controversial winner, the pekapeka-tou-roa, or long-tailed bat, have both barred from running this year.

Forest and Bird has identified 20 "underbirds," birds that are not as well-known within the country, in the hopes one of them can take the feathered crown, chief executive Nicola Toki said.

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"These birds aren’t just underbirds in Bird of the Year. With many of them threatened species, they’re underbirds in life too."

Team Tūturuatu, representing one of the 20 underbirds, says the tūturuatu, or shore plover, is done being the understudy.

"These critically endangered cuties are one of our rarest birds with only 250 birds left in the wild," they said.

"Tūturuatu are here to prove they can soar with the best of the flock – let’s make it a shore thing."

The election, which has been running since 2005, is Forest and Bird's most popular annual event with over 55,000 people voting last year.

It is not without controversy, with hacking scandals, allegations of voting bots, and questionable campaigning in previous years.

Voting closes on October 30, with the winning bird crowned the following day.