Photo:Alamy; Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images
Alamy; Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images
The puking bird has been named New Zealand’s “Bird of the Century” following comedianJohn Oliver’s campaign.
On Wednesday, the conservation group Forest and Bird announced that the pūteketeke had won their Bird of the Century annual contest after theLast Week Tonighthost, 46, expressed his strong support for the bird.
“After a two-week battle of the birds that will go down in history, the pūteketeke now wears the coveted Bird of the Century crown atop its burnt-orange mullet,” thepress releasevia Forest and Bird read.
Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images
Getty Images
“Pūteketeke began as an outside contender for Bird of the Century but was catapulted to the top spot thanks to its unique looks, adorable parenting style, and propensity for puking,” Forest & Bird chief executive Nicola Toki said in the press release.
“We’re not surprised these charming characteristics caught the eye of an influential bird enthusiast with a massive following.”
The content, which shines a light on New Zealand’s endangered native birds, received a record-breaking 350,000+ verified votes from 195 countries.
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Forest and Bird also revealed in their press release that thousands of votes had to be discarded as fraudulent. The false votes included a single person casting 40,000 votes for the tawaki piki toka eastern rockhopper penguin.
source: people.com
