John Oliver Campaigns for a New Zealand Bird of the Century Contest Dressed as a Pūteketeke Bird

John Oliver talks about being the official campaign manager for the pūteketeke bird in New Zealand's Bird of the Century contest, shares his opinions on other birds competing and dishes on recording the Strike Force Five podcast with Jimmy.
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John Oliver Campaigns for a New Zealand Bird of the Century Contest Dressed as a Pūteketeke Bird
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[@jourdainhiini6548]

As a Maori from New Zealand who values our conservation efforts, this is AWSOME to see our competition go overseas. Puteketeke for the win😅🏆 🐦

[@Cindyo77]

Nah vote Piwakawaka! The fantail is such a cute little death heralder

[@wordzmyth]

John's feuds with Aotearoa NZ are the most wholesome thing on Last Week Tonight.

[@trac6009]

We voted from Wisconsin

[@catrobinson6282]

@@trac6009 that is so cool! thank you!!

[@amyroos]

I not only voted from Minnesota, I read the descriptions of all birds and voted for my other 4 favorites as well as the Pūteketeke. I also donated to the conservation cause. Hope many of the folks who found out about it from John Oliver did the same!

[@Codetapper]

The Pūteketeke has officially won by a landslide. The official top 10: 1. Pūteketeke Australasian crested grebe: 290,374 votes 2. North Island brown kiwi: 12,904 votes 3. Kea: 12,060 votes 4. Kākāpō: 10,889 votes 5. Pīwakawaka Fantail: 7,857 votes 6. Tawaki piki toka Eastern rockhopper penguin: 6,763 votes 7. Karure | Kakaruia Black robin: 6,753 votes 8. Huia: 6,467 votes 9. Tūī: 6,457 votes 10. Takahē: 6,292 votes Any attention to our unique birds is fantastic, and hopefully the incoming government decides not to slash the conservation budget that was proposed. Give nature a voice!

[@jimbeardsley222]

Congrats on the surges in publicity, advocacy and conversation! I'm so glad, also, that your eminent Kiwi namesake proved a strong 2nd! Conservation and awareness FTW! 🥝🐦‍⬛🫶🫡

[@GrAnnOliver]

Does this mean we refer to New Zealanders as Pūteketekes instead of Kiwis, now?

[@jimbeardsley222]

​@@GrAnnOliver .. lol! from many news clips I've seen from NZ & AU media, most Kiwis view these annual elections as good fun & great publicity, but I suspect if we feign to diminish their cherished Kiwi identity too much further, we'll oft be reminded not to make "a more offensive mistake than that", in John's words. 🫣😬😏

[@Codetapper]

​@@GrAnnOliverThat's fine by me, I wouldn't mind! 😊

[@Whit3Br3ad]

And it’s crazy that last years #1 only won with 2,800 votes. So Oliver’s campaign helped highlight the nation’s conservation efforts, would love to see something like this in the states

[@barefootkiwi3079]

Firstly, I'm impressed by the commitment to the costume. Secondly, the Bird of the Year has always been controversial and John's "interference" is wonderfully adding to the many and varied controversies of the competition. Two years ago, a bat won. The kākāpō was barred after winning too many times (twice). There have been voting ... "irregularities". But all this means more attention for our endangered wildlife, which is the whole point. We take this election far more seriously than our Parliamentary Elections.

[@catc8927]

Reminds me of what happens during Fat Bear Week in the US. Someone tried stuffing the ballot box for bear 435 Holly last year! Also, I can’t blame the kakapo for winning so much. Not many birds have become as iconic as the Party Parrot!

[@joeypotter6051]

Weren't there Russian bots voting last year?

[@taz_giraffe]

Don’t forget the time a BAT won haha

[@MaioParlato]

I gotta say I understand not wanting the same bird winning too many times the bird of the year, but since they switched to bird of the century this year I do hope he was allowed to return in his full glory.

[@LindaC616]

​@@taz_giraffethey didn't 😅

[@missyj3960]

As someone from Wisconsin, a state that is pretty much ignored / not talked about unless something batshit insane goes down, I did a literal spit take when he said he placed a campaign ad in Manitowoc. I need to drive there to see it in person. 😅

[@dunbar9finger]

But if you look at the image he points at when he says it, you can see the dome of the state capitol in the picture so I think it's actually Madison.

[@Arobsite]

@@dunbar9finger That's the Manitowoc County courthouse. It's a really pretty courthouse.

[@jbruckbro]

Pretty sure this is a shot at Hillary, who couldn’t be bothered to campaign in WI

[@alliwalker1822]

Same here being from Milwaukee! I was like Stephen Avery town! 😂😂

[@lynemac2539]

​That's a bit of a back-reach, no?;

[@ajgharials]

I went and voted for the Pūteketeke IMMEDIATELY after John’s show and it’s the most important thing I’ve done in 2023. 💪🏽

[@wordzmyth]

Im from Aotearoa NZ and some of the birds i didnt know, or know but havent seen. Just listening to all the bird calls was wonderful. We have many predator free fenced reserves as well as our conservation islands now so these birds really are rebounding and its wonderful. On Tiritiri Maatangi there are noisy flocks of huge Takahe and a forest full of songbirds like korimako bellbirds and its just astonishing to see.

[@danielhughes441]

SAME! ❤

[@wordzmyth]

Well the world amd John Oliver (and the Puteketeke) won Now we have a bird none of us have heard of for the bird of the century. On the posutive side that bird lives on one of our beautiful south island lakes Lake Wanaka and needs protection. Please keep watching to make sure the new NZ National government doesnt cut funding to the Department of Conservation as they promised to do before the election.

[@ingridnorman7919]

I'm in Sweden and saw this video now, five days later - wanted to vote and he already won! XD

[@carlabarrick8538]

Same! 🥲

[@rainbowtropolis]

Kudos to whoever made that costume as well! John Oliver is awesome on so many levels

[@haydensheldrake9337]

I can listen to John Oliver talk for hrs idk why

[@BethBrownReinsel]

Incredible costume! What talent that unacknowledged fiber artist has!

[@TransHippie]

I want to see him in the otter furry suit.

[@rainbowtropolis]

@@BethBrownReinsel I agree! I don't think they said the name of the costume artist...?

[@kris242]

Lol I feel like at this point, John Oliver has been the biggest ever contributor to mascot costumes 🤣

[@JoeBurgettMusic]

The fact that John Oliver is not only pushing something about this bird on his own show, but dressing up to get votes for it on the Tonight Show is probably one of the most hilarious things in the world right now. lol

[@wordzmyth]

John knows the world needs his hilarious feuds with NZ as a break from the rest. And h3 got people donating to NZ bird co servation from all over the world! We want everyone to come visit and meet the birds we know and love

[@utubefreshie]

​@wordzmyth I love New Zealand! I'm from America but my 2 sisters live there and I just visited last July. I did not wanna leave!

[@rebecca8525]

@@utubefreshieI wouldn’t want to be in New Zealand in July because it’s winter there!

[@utubefreshie]

@rebecca8525 Yeah it was. And it was cold! We went to Queenstown and that was beautiful! Beats winter where I'm from. 😆

[@lapislarka]

I cannot find his episode about this bird. What was it called?

[@Balc0ra]

I voted... From Norway. I was asked why I voted on this bird. I simply said because John Oliver told me to do it.

[@jennyroberts2347]

Same here, because John Oliver told me to.

[@aeshaj]

Me too. I voted on Monday.

[@radost4e]

Same, I wrote because of John Oliver :D

[@thomasd9827]

Voted. Reason: John Oliver told me to subvert an election on hilarious grounds.

[@donnywilliamson5807]

Same here from Oklahoma

[@bogdannastasescu5926]

This is exactly how I imagine John Oliver being born, through the mouth of a giant bird. Well played !

[@EmpyreanLightASMR]

glasses and all

[@queenofidlis]

Haaaaahaahaaaa!!! 😂😂😂 Now I can't unsee this!

[@xeecec]

For real, this guy knows how to blow things out of proportion in the most beautiful ways possible. John never change

[@heysulfuric2372]

I would suggest fat bear week is the closest the US has to our bird of the year. A silly seeming, casual contest that actually has the serious intent of raising awareness for a good conservation cause.

[@caronstout354]

Steven Colbert pulled the same stunt, without a costume, for Fat Bear Week.

[@gigitastic90]

I look forward to Fat Bear Week every year, It's one of the highlights of fall.

[@micro-babe]

God I love Fat Bear Week. Grazer is my fave.

[@anumeon]

Ever since he was in the Lion King, John has slowly been transforming into a bird.

[@daniellederer293]

They should’ve played circle of life as he came out lol

[@MightyMaiT]

Lol 😂

[@chrissiek8706]

Slowly? 😂

[@angelbloodshinra]

He's been making jokes about being a bird even before that. It's just a natural progression of events

[@freyanz2450]

Thankyou so much John for promoting New Zealand wildlife 😁 A lot of our native bird species are endangered, so this is a great way to spread awareness. Love your enthusiasm for our little competition ❤ Hope you come back and promote next year 😁❤️

[@cheftekniqakabuletteborn8127]

love from the us to new Zealand

[@freyanz2450]

​@@cheftekniqakabuletteborn8127 Tēnā koe 😁❤️

[@b-dub6865]

I knew there was a reason he did this & I love it!! I haven’t seen the episode yet, but I wish he mentioned that in the interview.

[@Izz_this_it]

Thank you all for being so cool and welcoming to us non kiwi’s!!!! Your country is home to such cool wildlife, I’ve been having a blast just passively researching endemic NZ birds since I saw his segment. Pūteketeke forever!

[@freyanz2450]

@izzyhansen yeah we have so many different ones here 😁 Conservation of our endemic and native species is so important here. Most of the birds are endangered due to pest animals, and people. A few have gone extinct, or are very close to it. We hope to be pest free by 2050. We love sharing information and talking about our animals. I think some of my favorite native birds have to be the Tui (because it's singing is cool), the Kakapo (fat ground parot), and the Ganet (sea bird that my great grandfather used to study).

[@HyperactiveNeuron]

John Oliver always makes me feel better. Thank you UK! You can't have him back LOL!

[@quarkonium3795]

We'll happily give them back James Corden though!

[@TrippyTrav]

@@quarkonium3795😂😂

[@mattmas32]

Um... yeah, they don't want him back.

[@LindaC616]

​@@quarkonium3795already done!

[@oregonghost3782]

I love when John says...on his own show. HBO money

[@gaby5254]

Well I actually just voted for five birds in the site, birds I never would have known they existed if it wasn't for this crazy campaign so I think this is a win-win scenario.

[@JackSparrow-gn9be]

John Oliver has the perfect face for the bird costume. 😂

[@Ellietalk81]

The glasses really help!

[@AucklandGirl21]

As born and raised kiwi from stunning aotearoa new zealand, I can confirm that he has in fact advertised heavily here in new zealand. 65000 votes came in overnight for the bird and I cannot wait to see what bird of ours he'll campaing for next week😂❤

[@MrPadfoot59]

For people looking for recommendations on other birds to vote for (because you can rank up to five), I’d like to campaign for the black robin. There were only 5 of them back in 1980, with only 1 fertile female, and they were brought back from the brink of extinction. Seems like an apt symbol for New Zealand’s conservation efforts. There’s still only about 250 of them, so they’re still vulnerable, and it’d be such a shame to let these Angry Bird bombs die out. Full disclosure - I just discovered all of this in the last half hour. Would love it if any actual experts wanted to weigh in :)

[@gmoo84]

If they are anything like the south island robin they are super cute and trusting coming up to you on the trails which is always special. Had one get onto my boot once!

[@Blue-zc9ro]

I have a personal connection with the black robin story cos my grandfather was one of the people who worked on Black Robin conservation back in the day when they got down to 5 left. They survived on a tiny island offshore of the Chatham Islands. ‘Old Blue’ (named after the colour of the band used to ID her) was the one female, who basically single-handedly saved her species by having a bunch of chicks, and by having chicks with multiple males (usually they only really pair up once) - way more than is normal for the species. They would even foster some of her chicks with other birds (including I believe the tomtit!) so that she could continue to lay more eggs. Conservationists on the Chathams still have to closely monitor the pairing and breeding of the species to try and increase the genetic diversity of their population cos basically the whole species is related to this one bird.

[@williamchamberlain2263]

​@@Blue-zc9ro Thanks to your grandad - those are long, long odds to work against to save a species from going into the long dark. Thank him again, please

[@ammaleslie509]

I voted for the Black Robin! I voted for the Puteketeke and four other birds including the Black Robin

[@firstlight7419]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZnranXRjf5isqbMfeature=shared

[@theorcaswereright]

This is probably one of the most John Oliver things I've ever seen John Oliver do 😂

[@LogansAstro]

As a I New Zealander, I have to say that..... this is brilliant.

[@paiwanhan]

When I was visiting New Zealand, I stopped at a bird watching center on my way to the Auckland airport just to check it out. I'm Taiwanese and my mind was blown when I saw the spoonbills. We have spoonbills which look just like the ones in New Zealand in Taiwan. They are a national treasure and a regional symbol. The ancestors of the Maori people also traveled across the Pacific through the Austronesian expansion to Aotearoa, starting from Taiwan. The parallel between the migration of our ancestors and the spoonbills' ancestors is just amazing.

[@stevieme8642]

We have Roseate Spoonbills in America. They're pink. Only found in Florida.

[@paiwanhan]

@@stevieme8642 There are spoonbills in Europe and Africa as well. Though they all are very visibly different from the spoonbills found in Taiwan. The Royal Spoonbills looks almost exactly the same.

[@northwestkiwi7742]

At Okarito, just north of Franz Josef, there's a bird-watching tour where you can see a breeding area of kōtuku/white herons - but there were also kōtuku ngutupapa/royal spoonbills and once I saw them, I could give a flying fig about the herons. Spoonbills are awesome birds! Although I vote for kererū because they're fat, clumsy drunkards and I love watching them hoover up the leaves of my plum tree like they're at a banquet.

[@BirdsofaFeatherTalkTogetherPod]

Love the spoonbills!

[@vinniediesel1369]

The way John makes his point and points 👉 the wing with the feather 🪶 on the tip at Jimmy numerous times shows how he is living the costume. Well done! Im gonna go vote now.

[@Ellietalk81]

The glasses really help

[@birbluv9595]

I submitted my vote. Thank you, John, for promoting New Zealand wildlife this way. Your costume rocks!

[@Satsujinki1973]

Costume? What costume? I was wondering how they allowed him to appear naked.

[@wjmcd703]

John's commitment to this bird contest is amazing. Jimmy trying not to lose it is also incredible

[@patrickb8345]

John Oliver's commitment is great here.

[@b-dub6865]

Yes, especially with the not so great audience.

[@travisslusser9808]

"Let your tongue explore your face." Every so often someone says something in passing that just tickles me. I've been cackling for 5 mins. What a wonderful man.

[@lb5368]

Whoever made John's costume deserves a raise. Fantastic and gorgeous!

[@DancingRockInc]

The first I was aware of this was running past that bus stop ad in Wellington. Didn't realise it was a John Oliver thing. Pūteketeke was announced as the winner today so well done, John!

[@catrobinson6282]

This is amazing!! The voting has been at it's highest ever and they are late with the result as they are still counting them!! Thank you for this, us Kiwi's have absolutey loved it!!

[@JustAGirlWhoLovesCats]

When does the voting end?

[@amyeddelman]

@@JustAGirlWhoLovesCatsSunday the 12th

[@jcoopes5604]

It was the bird of the century, the numbers turned out! John’s bird won!

[@user-gf1rr5sf5w]

The bird costume is more than a costume- it is a work of art.

[@BunkerSquirrel]

I left a $50 dollerydoo donation with my vote and I know I’m not the only one. No matter how you shake it this is a great thing John’s done here

[@JurasekIII]

Whoever made that bird costume did an outstanding job, that is really really cool.

[@chrissiek8706]

Looks like from Broadway's Lion King

[@daenerystargaryen6302]

I actually voted for his bird!

[@mannishboy1]

Me too!

[@msswen]

Me too!

[@bookbwitched6823]

Me Too. Name dances in your mouth. Let your tongue explore your face! Damn I love this man!

[@padrake444]

Me too...as any good member of High Lord John Oliver,true king of the internet's army should...we he calls we ride !!!!

[@kimberlykim1265]

me too! How could I not?

[@calleythompson2781]

The Pūteketeke is the bird of the century! They announced the results a few hours ago.

[@Moody_Jazz]

I love the fact that every time John is on one of the talk shows he brings up Episode 5 of the podcast. Brings a smile to my face to see him so giddy

[@chrissiek8706]

This was trully a beautiful disaster, not sure it was all intentional on Jimmy's part 😂

[@NotreJourAujourdhui]

Genuinely the hardest I've laughed in years while listening to episode 5. That was a special moment in comedy history and I'm so happy I got to experience it. All of the hosts have talked about episode 5 the most.

[@jcoopes5604]

John visits them!

[@KatieBadger1]

John pointing to the pictures with his feather LOST me 🤣

[@carlogarcia209]

Was glad to be in the audience for this show

[@daniellederer293]

Did he come out in normal clothes or just in the bird suit

[@carlogarcia209]

@@daniellederer293 just the bird suit

[@user-gf1rr5sf5w]

Lucky you see the actual costume! It was mesmorising 👍

[@truetuesday4]

They should do a strike force five *thunder sound* every year for charity. I really liked the podcast!

[@dennishuiberts1812]

As someone who worked for the New Zealand Department of Conservation working with Brown Kiwi, Tūturuatu, Takahe, Pāteke and Tīeke, I love this effort. The more attention, the better! Thanks John!

[@BoredPandaNomNom]

gotta say, that costume is legit awesome! the feather detail, the feet!

[@ivomusician]

John Oliver = Legend.. and always they joy of the week! Thank you and best from Switzerland! 💙💙

[@bookbwitched6823]

Blessings & thank you for standing with us, despite our embarrassing Republican Party.

[@ivomusician]

@@bookbwitched6823 It is me to thank YOU!

[@bookbwitched6823]

@@ivomusician 💋

[@HyperactiveNeuron]

I did my part John. They have my name and email address You had better bring this home!

[@PeanutsAssorted]

You know what I appreciate? John finally embracing his true self and dressing in an outfit that actually reflects who he is!

[@troysmith6929]

So cool to have this gaining international publicity!! I'm another New Zealander coming out of the woodwork and far out do we go on about it every year 😆 Still, a great cause and there are some remarkable birds out there

[@olagisrarikis]

I voted for it and donated a little as well... Thanks for bringing this to my attention. J.O. is always hilarious...

[@Brekekekiwi]

Thank you so much for donating as well!

[@warrenpoultney8215]

Thank you!

[@joeypotter6051]

"Bad bee costume" got me lol. Bird of the Year has a long history of controversy, from a bat winning one year to Russian bots trying to rig the election another year! Such fun. #voteRuru #nzboty

[@jitkakolmanova]

I've just voted and my number 1 bird was Ruru :) I just had to, I named my cat after the guardian of the night as they sport same eyes and facial expression

[@bingonamo7520]

But they weren't Russian bots, they were genuine votes. It turns out several birds from NZ migrate to Russia for part of the the year, and they were familiar with them and voted for them. Despite people thinking of Russians as being hard, they are animal lovers. Some have a great relationship with their local bear or bears and they have the most cat ownership per capita, in the world. That used to be NZ, but it's now them.

[@Drewisonfire4]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE bring back Strike Force Five! It would be perfect to have a once a month podcast, rotating hosts as usual, but each host gets to choose a charity to shed a little light on. 80-90 minute episodes, maybe a guest if you decide but even then. Would love to see another SF5 game show 🤣

[@ThestuffthatSaralikes]

Holy crap a *GENUINE* laugh from Fallon?!!? Only John Oliver can do it. I had no idea the bird of the year was so hotly contested and anticipated!!! This is AMAZING!! What a fun way to bring attention to animal and bird conservation. Annnd yet ANOTHER reason to love John Oliver…

[@vanilla6326]

John was on thin ice with that Australia/New Zealand joke but he saved himself with the commitment. (Yes royal spoonbills always look like that, they’re not as mean as they look)

[@bundiboo]

Love Oliver & Fallon & seeing them together is a bonus 😂 Voting for the Putekki teki now

[@PhilFeedback]

Kudos to John Oliver! He deserves an award 🥇

[@invincible_idol_mel]

Thanks John, I vote in it every year but his year I also got my cousin in China and my mother to vote. None of us voted for your bird but it spread the word. KAKAPO FOR LIFE!

[@cameronfowler8627]

Kakapo are perfect.

[@patchdavis35]

The birds need all the friends they can get. I support any endeavour which gets the public interested in learning about them.

[@peachesandpoets]

I loved strike force 5. Episode 1 and episode 5 and the last episode were just amazing 😂. Colbert is a gem

[@catc8927]

I love how the effect of Strike Force Five ⚡️ has continued to echo among these late night hosts, especially the chaotic wonder that is Episode 5. I was playing a fairly easy game while listening and had to pause multiple times because I was laughing too hard.

[@jgon321]

John Oliver never skips a beat and always lifts me up💕🫶🏼🥹protect him at all cost!!

[@timothybrown760]

Maybe that's why the bird won the century contest in New Zealand, thanks to John not only campaigning for it, but was willing to wear the costume....BRILLIANT!!!🤭😉😊

[@Pete_Finch]

John's really getting into wearing costumes when nobody else is - the pirate costume he wore with his wife to a party he thought was gonna be pirate themed but it very much wasn't made me laugh pretty hard

[@colonialstraits1069]

I’d like to personally thank England, for rejecting the comedic genius of John Oliver. He’s an American Treasure and I will protect him at all costs.

[@southsider9638]

I don't care... that's the coolest costume I've ever seen.

[@ravenouscadaver8]

John would have looked great in a Pukeko costume.

[@alexisgonzalez8680]

✨️PUTEKETEKE 2024 ✨️

[@jcoopes5604]

His birdie won! Congrats John and NZ conservation!

[@PeterandYen]

Love the commitment 😂👍 New Zealand totally has such awesome and fascinating birds. Thanks John Oliver and your team for bringing this competition to the world stage 😆🩷🇳🇿

[@foglebr]

I wouldn’t have been able to be in the studio audience. I’m just constantly cracking up uncontrollably. 🤣 Heidi Klum has got to be jealous of this outfit!

[@davincisghost9228]

Did I suggest bungy Jumping in the bird suit? I FEEL I DID mention bungy jumping in the bird suit....😍🤣🤣🤣

[@JdeeGeekyGao]

As a Kiwi I've been seeing all these birds over my social media asking for votes XDDD This is the first international version I've seen lol

[@diyguru9677]

Not forgetting the NZ bird Kiwi's are named after, both fruit and human.

[@joanne4758]

We love you guys - come down and see the birds - Cheers New Zealand

[@LeeMoore-tu4gr]

OMG i love that he did Manitowoc WI. Charlie Berens approves!

[@githyanki1899]

Aussie here. "The Australian" (Inhale) "New Zealand" (Exhale)

[@bookbwitched6823]

LOL We love you!

[@jreesphillips]

I cycle past that billboard/bus-stop in Wellington every day. Little did I know that it was the brainchild of John Oliver! 😂

[@MaxFerney]

a laugh spilled out when John "Oh yeah, we've gone absolutely nuclear on them"

[@nannerz1994]

I absolutely love everything john does

[@emmajars58]

Oh 😂 I needed this today ❤ John Oliver and his team are the best

[@robertmiller2173]

What a great show, these guys had me laughing my socks off! As a Pakeha from New Zealand who values our conservation efforts, this is AWSOME to see our competition go overseas. Go the Kea, the only mountain Parrot in the world! Go the Kea and they are smart, very smart and can only be found around the Southern Alps in New Zealand's South Island.

[@nicholasgarrick8855]

It is an intellectual joy to see jimmy ,and jon oliver chatting they are so informative witty ,clever brilliant guys amazing late night collab👏🏽👏🏽.

[@davincisghost9228]

That Spoonbill glammed up...I was treated to spotting one in Dunedin...fucking beautiful...but still...

[@tylerhackner9731]

Love John Oliver

[@sunnyinaspen]

Laughing out loud. So good I had to write out😂🤣🤣🤣

[@anne-mariepetersen8501]

I cannot believe how big this went. But also (as a Kiwi and a huge fan) HELLOOO WISCONSIN!!!

[@elinahamalainen5867]

That bird is also here in Finland (we call it silkkiuikku), on the other side of world. That bird really gets around.

[@MissTirsty]

From New Zealand: It won!

[@bettymaugeri7316]

John never disappoints!

[@z0rrofan9]

Greetings from Wisconsin! Nice to have been included.

[@asdfghjsdfgg1841]

Puteketeke won bird of the century, great job John!

[@solarczyk49]

Jimmy, I admire you. I wouldn't be able to talk, I'd just have a fit of laughter 🤣

[@alastairmckenziepro]

Also spend a buck to support Forest and Bird who run the annual vote. Heaps of native birds in need of support 🙌🙌

[@BirdsofaFeatherTalkTogetherPod]

We are doing an episode on the Puteketeke! Can't wait to talk more about them, they are so fascinating :)

[@THEchiQ]

We love this. Thank you, John, from Aotearoa.

[@BlakieTT]

BIRDFACE AS AN ACTUAL BIRD!?!?! Be still, my heart! 😂

[@truetuesday4]

John always looks like this, they just draw the blank void around him

[@geminirooster]

John oliver is god's gift to earth. First Jesus. Then the Putekeke and then John Oliver.

[@veggigoddess]

And 2 of those are real!

[@geminirooster]

@@veggigoddess 100% agree

[@fleachamberlain1905]

That's the spoonbill's breeding plumage. So grown just for a short time each year. I'm pretty sure they're in the 'least concern' category. There do seem to be many. We get them in Oz too. So definitely vote #1 for the Pūteketeke. We'll get you a fur suit next John.

[@taniac1860]

Puteketeke are also endemic to Australia, where they’re also endangered so he’s actually doing a great job of highlighting it on both sides of the ditch. Although I can see where it will lead… Aussies’ claiming they won NZ bird of the year 😁. First there was Phar lap then Pavlova now Puteketeke 😂. Well played John.

[@mikejones-go8vz]

@@taniac1860they can have that other bird, Russel Crow!😂

[@joannamiller6951]

These two are such geniuses. Love the mating dance for the bird! 😂

[@Ria-xl7kz]

Congratulations, puteketeke & john oliver for winning bird of the century!!!

[@AmberMarrrie]

"an Australian" - the moment every Aussie and Kiwi gasped.

[@brianglendenning1632]

Yes, like calling a Canadian an American…oh poo, that makes we Aussies the Yank in the Yank-Canadian dynamic😂

[@victoriag3261]

Oh, I so wish there was a talk show where all of the guests would wear a costume.

[@sandrapandalesque8903]

I made the mistake and looked at some other birds.... Stiff competition, Pūteketeke... Didn't think I would become fascinated by birds or care about that competition ... maybe it's just NZ maybe its the John Oliver effect ;P

[@CRBungalow]

As a spoonbill fan, I am going to have to make the Royal Spoonbill my 1st choice. Good on John Oliver for bringing awareness to the native birds of New Zealand, many on the endangered species list due to human activity and invasive predators. I live am American but have been following native bird conservation in New Zealand for years.

[@Jis4jigawa]

Yes, Episode 5 of Strike Force Five WAS a MASTERPIECE! Just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. lol

[@NotreJourAujourdhui]

The hardest I've laughed in years. It was a special moment in comedy history, we all cried from laughing that day.

[@susanroutt6690]

John Oliver is the greatest! ❤️