John Oliver's Campaign Secures 'Bird of the Century' Title for Pūteketeke

The comedian's international campaign led to a record-breaking voter turnout in New Zealand's annual bird contest, causing a landslide victory for the pūteketeke over the national bird, the kiwi.

Comedian John Oliver successfully campaigned for the pūteketeke, a bird he described as a 'weird, puking bird with colorful mullets', to win New Zealand's 'Bird of the Century' contest, beating the country's national bird, the kiwi.
Oliver's campaign included billboards in major cities around the world, a banner flown over Brazil's Ipanema Beach, and his appearance in a bird costume on television.
The contest, run by New Zealand-based conservation organization Forest & Bird, aims to raise awareness for native New Zealand bird species, many of which are threatened or at risk of extinction.
Oliver's campaign led to a record-breaking voter turnout of over 280,000, significantly higher than the previous maximum of 56,000 in 2021.
Despite the overwhelming victory for the pūteketeke, the contest was not without controversy, with about 40,000 votes being discarded due to fraudulent activity.