It's hoped the popularity of the fairy tern will boost efforts to save it.

The bird has taken out the top spot for Forest and Bird's Seabird of the Year, just beating the Fiji petrel.

Co-campaign manager for the fairy tern, Wade Doak, says the bird's dwindling numbers are disproportionate to its popularity, with only eight or 10 breeding pairs left.

He says the public's devotion to the bird is a good sign, as it is human action that will determine whether or not the species survives.