The pūteketeke has been voted New Zealand’s Bird of the Century

in new zealand, Election of bird of the year It often carries its share of controversy. The 2023 edition promised appointment Horn bird The celebration of the centenary of the founding of the Forest and Birds Organization was no exception. After a massive campaign around the world, com. pūteketeke or A large Australian crested birdfinally earning the title of “Bird of the Century” after largely dominating the competition.

The shimmering feathers of the pūteketeke, A water bird about 50 cm longor Her amazing dance at her wedding, Which allowed him to move forward The kiwi, the national bird of New Zealand Who cannot fly and keaMountain parrot. As CNN explainsthe competition, which is taken more seriously every year, was marked by the intervention of the British actor John Oliver, presenter Last week tonight On HBO.

Particularly impressed by the atypical grace and strange behaviors of the pūteketeke, John Oliver made the election of the Hornbill a personal issue. In addition to amassing many fans for his show around the world, the actor launched Advertising display campaigns In the four corners of the planet, Indiain Japanin New Zealandin Brazil (Via a message pulled into the sky by a plane) and even Parisin French.

Dressed in a costume in the colors of the bird, John Oliver also took part in the show Tonight show By Jimmy Fallon to plead his case. “It’s a strange bird, vomiting, with a colorful mullet,” he said happily, referring to the fact that he… The animal has a habit of swallowing its feathers To make himself vomit and thus expel some parasites.

In the presence of a very large number of voters. The organization was unable to publish the results on time. Final verdict: The great Australian diver wins by nearly 300,000 votes Compared to 12904 for Kiwi. “We are not surprised that the charming characteristics of this bird have caught the attention of an influential ornithology enthusiast,” competition organizers said.

Bats and Russian intervention

Forest and Bird also states that the motive behind this annual competition is the conservation of endangered species and that Number of pūteketeke samples ‘continues to decline’. The organization adds: “It is good that we can rely on this now hugely popular bird to represent all of New Zealand’s birds to show that even endangered species can bounce back if we support them.”

But in New Zealand, outside intervention is having a hard time catching on, especially among New Zealander advocates. Such a symbol of the country that it became a national emblem, this bird would have perfectly embodied the local struggle for nature conservation. But no rules are broken according to Forest and birds.

The competition is not in its first year. controversial. In 2018, many denounced the Australians’ attempt to rig the competition in favor of cormorants. The following year, the election of the Arctic penguin, or hoiho, was marked by accusations of Russian interference, while in 2021, the election of a bat species sparked controversy. Last year, the automatic exclusion of the kakapo angered amateur ornithologists, who were angry that it was excluded in this way while it was on the verge of extinction under the pretext that it had already won the 2008 and 2020 titles.

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