Forest & Bird, a conservation organization in New Zealand, held a contest for Bird of the Century and invited people in the country and abroad to 1 their favorite threatened species, Comedian and talk show host John Oliver 2 Forest & Bird if he could campaign for the püteketeke, a native water bird with eye-catching black-brown 3 around its neck. The organization 4 .
To get 5 for the species, Oliver started a worldwide campaign, which focused on its 6 feather surrounding its neck, romantic mating ceremony and heart-warming parenting style.
"The püteketeke are fantastic couples and 7 parents who always carry their babies on their backs!" read one of the ads.
His effort 8 The püteketeke began at the bottom of the 9 . But it 10 the contest with 290, 374 votes after Oliver started the campaign on its behalf. By comparison, the much more 11 bird kiwi just got 12, 904 votes.
According to Forest & Bird, there are fewer than 3, 000 of the bird across New Zealand a few decades ago. But the 12 has been increasing thanks in part to conservation efforts.
Usually called Bird of the Year, the annual 13 is held to raise awareness about the plight（困境）of the nation's native 14 , 80% of which are on the threatened species list. This year, the contest was named Bird of the Century to celebrate the group's 15 birthday.
