Incoming prime minister Christopher Luxon has congratulated British comedian John Oliver on the pūteketeke winning Bird of the Century.
The pūteketeke now wears the coveted crown atop its burnt-orange mullet after Oliver's controversial backing.
"Congratulations to campaign manager John Oliver and all those who gave their support to the pūteketeke," Luxon wrote on X.
Forest & Bird chief executive Nicola Toki said: "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.
fter a two-week battle of the birds, the pūteketeke now wears the coveted Bird of the Century crown atop its burnt-orange mullet. (Source: Breakfast)
"We're not surprised these charming characteristics caught the eye of an influential bird enthusiast with a massive following."
She said 350,000 votes were cast throughout the competition from nearly 200 countries around the world.
Toki told Breakfast this morning there were some bizarre votes cast from overseas as well.
She said after Oliver appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, an additional 40,000 votes came in — not for the pūteketeke.
"Surprisingly though they [the votes] were for the eastern rockhopper penguin, who he dismissed as a hipster penguin.
"Someone in Pennsylvania managed to put in 3400 votes, one every three seconds so they got turfed out as well."
The pūteketeke bird is under threat, with a classification of Nationally Vulnerable. The New Zealand-wide population is thought to be fewer than 1000 birds.
Forest & Bird said the species is also not faring well in Australia, with a combined population across the two countries of less than 3000.
The top 10 birds including the pūteketeke were:
- Australasian crested grebe - 290,374
- North Island brown Kiwi - 12,904
- Kea - 12,060
- Kākāpō - 10,889
- Fantail - 7857
- Eastern rockhopper penguin - 6763
- Black robin - 6753
- Huia - 6467
- Tūī - 6457
- Takahē - 6292
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