A "weird puking bird" wins New Zealand's avian beauty contest
The annual avian beauty contest in New Zealand has crowned a surprising champion. The Australasian crested grebe, also known as "puteketeke" in Maori, emerged victorious in the Bird of the Century ballot. This unexpected win came after British comedian John Oliver rallied his global audience to support the peculiar bird.
Organizers of the competition were taken aback when an influx of votes flooded in from cities around the world, including Tokyo, London, and Paris. The sheer volume of votes briefly overwhelmed the counting systems, causing a minor panic among the organizers.
The Australasian crested grebe, with its striking plumage of black, white, and brown, is celebrated in New Zealand's online bird encyclopaedia as a "majestic and distinctive" species. However, John Oliver humorously referred to it as the "weird puking bird" on his popular television show.
Puteketeke Wins International Bird Beauty Contest
A little-known bird species from New Zealand, called the puteketeke, has emerged as the winner of an international bird beauty contest. The competition, organized by the conservation group Forest and Bird, saw the puteketeke rise to the top spot due to its unique appearance and adorable parenting style. The bird is also known for its peculiar habit of eating its own feathers to trigger its gag reflex and expel parasites.
The puteketeke is also famous for its elaborate mating ritual, which involves dangling weeds from their beaks, chest bumping, and engaging in a chorus of chirps. However, experts believe that the puteketeke population in New Zealand has declined to less than 1,000 individuals.
"I have never identified with anything more," said Nicola Toki, the competition organizer from Forest and Bird.
John Oliver's Campaign Hijacks Bird Beauty Contest
Comedian and television host John Oliver has caused controversy by hijacking an international bird beauty contest. Oliver, the star of the show "Last Week Tonight," discovered that the competition was open to participants worldwide and launched an "alarmingly aggressive campaign" to win.
He erected billboards in cities such as Mumbai, Tokyo, Paris, and London, urging people to vote for his chosen bird. As a result, the organizers received over 350,000 votes from almost every country, breaking the previous record of 56,000 votes.
However, Oliver's meddling in the contest has sparked outrage, with tens of thousands of suspect votes being discarded, including 40,000 votes cast by a single person for a penguin.
"We encourage people to channel their passion for birds into positive actions instead of trying to manipulate an election," said Nicola Toki, the competition organizer.
Birdwatcher Michael Burton-Smith expressed his concerns to local media about the impact of overseas votes on the campaign's integrity.
The friendly competition is often surrounded by controversy, with previous polls being marred by suspiciously high numbers of Russian votes and accusations of neighboring Australians attempting to manipulate the results.
The kakapo, a plump parrot that cannot fly and resembles a green bowling ball, was disqualified from last year's competition due to its repeated victories.
