John Oliver has made an appearance on a US late night talk show to make his case for why the pūteketeke should be crowned Bird of the Century.
The comedian threw his hat in the ring for the competition on November 7 – and became an official campaigner for the lake-dwelling bird.
This evening, Oliver – dressed in a pūteketeke costume – appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he explained how he was drawn to the competition after realising it was "not just restricted to New Zealand".
"Anyone can campaign for a bird. That seemed like a vulnerability in their system that somebody could exploit.
"We were happy to be that somebody and so we now are the official campaign management for the pūteketeke."
Pūteketeke are known for their ritualised courtship displays, where they pick up and offer each other water weed and then bump into each other's chests. The comedian made sure to capitalise on that fact.
"I’ve never identified with anything more in my f****** life!" Oliver said at the time.
He also highlighted the threat of extinction pūteketeke currently faces. They have a population of fewer than 1000 birds.
Oliver said the last Bird of the Year winner won by "just over 2800 votes", which he thinks they "may beat" after putting up billboards for the pūteketeke across the globe.
"It is American money undermining a foreign election – what is more to be proud about?"
With over 70 other birds vying to be named head of the flock, Fallon began to show Oliver "what he was up against".
"I don’t want to be too honest here, but before you’ve even shown me them, f**k these birds, but make your best case. Show me something that is better than the pūteketeke," he replied.
While being shown several other birds from the competition, Oliver remained steadfast in his belief that the pūteketeke should be crowned Bird of the Century.
Watch the video above to see Oliver’s reaction to some of the other birds in the competition.
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