John Oliver endorses a candidate for New Zealand's Bird of the Century competition

On Sunday’s Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, after taking some time out of the end to break down New Zealand’s upcoming Bird of the Century competition, the host took things one step further and announced a full-blown campaign for a bird of his choosing: the pūteketeke

This year, what is normally New Zealand’s Bird of the Year competition is now looking to crown the Bird of the Century, and after digging a little deeper into the competition’s history and meaning, Oliver was inspired to get a bird of his own in the game, too.

Here’s a look at how Oliver hopes the pūteketeke can win Bird of the Century in “the biggest landslide in the history of the competition.”

Finding the inspiration

Oliver laid out the history of not only New Zealand’s love of birds — the country's currency features different feathered creatures — but also the Bird of the Year competition itself, which has been riddled with scandal and drama throughout the years.

For instance, there have been findings of voter fraud or attempted fraud in 2015, 2017 and 2020, along with an uproar when a bat won in 2021. Or, in what Oliver referred to as “bulls***,” the disqualification of the kakapo after winning twice in 2008 and 2020 to help keep the spotlight on lesser-known birds.

“We don’t do that for other awards,” Oliver said before sarcastically adding, “Oh sorry Beyoncé, you’ve already won 32 Grammys. You are disqualified from now on so that someone worse than you can win, I hope you understand.”

Perhaps Oliver’s biggest draw to the kakapo, known as the world's fattest parrot, is the 2009 viral clip of the bird having its way with a photographer, which has amassed 25 million views to date.

Big bird business

As Oliver dug deeper into the competition, he learned that there are campaign managers for many of the birds who have used things like movie parody posters, an endorsement from an adult toy shop and a radio debate featuring people imitating their bird candidate’s sound to garner votes.

He also discovered that the contest is not just restricted to New Zealand: Not only can anyone with a valid email address vote, anyone who is passionate about their favorite bird is encouraged to campaign for it.

“And by now, I’m pretty sure you know where this is going,” Oliver said to announce a campaign of his own.

Flying with a winner

Oliver chose the pūteketeke, or the Australasian crested grebe, in part because he says it “looks like Pauly D f***ed a swan," and also the name "is fun to say."

He added that they are known for carrying babies on their backs as well as doing a mating dance “where they both grab a clump of wet grass and chest bump each other before standing around unsure of what to do next. I have never identified with anything more in my f***ing life.”

And since the pūteketeke’s existence is under threat, Oliver has put together an “alarmingly aggressive” campaign to try and beat last year’s winner, the rock wren, and its 2,894 first-place votes.

The campaign begins in New Zealand with movie parody posters for The Lord of the Wings. He also put up billboards in high-traffic big cities in India, Japan, France and Brazil. In London there’s a moving car advertisement that says, “help us crown a real king” with a picture of the pūteketeke. And for good measure he also placed a billboard in a small town in Wisconsin called Manitowoc.

As Oliver got up from his desk to join a giant squawking animatronic pūteketeke on the stage next to him, he reminded people of the Votethisbird.com website and said, “This is what democracy is all about: America interfering in foreign elections.”

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver airs Sundays at 11 p.m. on HBO.