John Oliver’s Campaign for the Pūteketeke Wins New Zealand’s Bird of the Century Contest

Conservation group Forest and Bird announced Wednesday that comedian John Oliver’s favored water bird, the pūteketeke, had won New Zealand’s Bird of the Century contest. The annual event is held to raise awareness about the plight of the nation’s native birds, some of which have been driven to the brink of extinction.

Oliver had gone all-out in a humorous campaign for the bird on his HBO show “Last Week Tonight”, describing it as a weird, puking bird with a colorful mullet. His efforts were so successful that vote checkers in New Zealand were overwhelmed by the foreign interference and had to postpone naming the winning bird for two days.

The pūteketeke is a small, black and white bird that is native to New Zealand. It is a member of the rail family and is found in wetlands, where it feeds on insects, worms, and small crustaceans. It is also known for its distinctive call, which is a loud, repetitive “pūteketeke”.

The Bird of the Century contest is an important part of New Zealand’s conservation efforts. It is hoped that the success of the pūteketeke will help to raise awareness of the plight of the nation’s native birds and encourage people to take action to protect them.

John Oliver’s campaign has been a great success and has highlighted the importance of conservation and protecting the nation’s native birds. It is hoped that the success of the pūteketeke will help to inspire more people to take action to protect New Zealand’s native birds.