Last year New Zealand crowned the Puteketeke as their Bird of the Century. This raise a lot of questions: who has the authority to name a bird for the century, why is 2023 the year it happened, and what the heck is the Puteketeke? Join me in this episode to learn more and to find out how John Oliver made a dramatic entry to saw the vote in favour of an underdog.
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Notes:
Great Crested Grebe: https://ebird.org/species/grcgre1?siteLanguage=en_AUForest and Bird: https://www.forestandbird.org.nz/Bird of the Century winner: https://www.birdoftheyear.org.nz/Previous Bird of the Year winners: https://www.birdoftheyear.org.nz/past-champions/Puteketeke: https://www.forestandbird.org.nz/resources/bird-century-winner-announced-puteketeke-pandemonium-prevails#:~:text=The%20p%C5%ABteketeke%20Australasian%20crested%20grebe,atop%20its%20burnt%2Dorange%20mullet.Feet for tail feathers: https://www.jstor.org/stable/4070281?seq=2Grebe mating dancing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs_3WAfDVscGrebes eat feathers: https://www.audubon.org/news/grebes-their-meals-side-feathers-heres-why#:~:text=Strange%20as%20it%20sounds%2C%20grebes,way%20to%20slow%20down%20digestion.John Oliver on Jimmy Fallon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVE1hBzHn3sDoes John Oliver hate birds?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l2Y6Z-maAU