Comedian John Oliver has reacted to the pūteketeke winning Bird of the Century, saying he’s thrilled with the underbird’s victory.

It comes as Forest and Bird announce that exposure from Oliver’s campaign saw more than $600,000 donated to the charity during the competition – more than six times what the 2022 competition raised.

“Pūteketeke today, pūtekeke tomorrow, pūteketeke for the next 100 years,” Oliver said while dressed as a pūteketeke during a patriotic victory speech on his show Last Week Tonight on Monday evening (NZT).

The native bird, also known as the Australasian crested grebe, was boosted to the top of the pecking order after Oliver’s “alarmingly aggressive” campaign for the otherwise lesser-known bird.

The win raised questions about whether the competition should be open to international voters (or ‘foreign interference’) in 2024 – 52% of those who voted in an unscientific Stuff poll said yes, it should be.

“I am thrilled about [the win], even if you guys clearly aren’t,” Oliver said.

“Tonight isn’t just the pūteketeke’s victory, it’s your victory, as this election represents the collective wishes of good, bird-loving people from 195 countries.”

He had hoped for the pūteketeke to win by a landslide. It did, winning 290,374 votes and 83% of all votes.

“We didn’t just win this by a little, we won this by a lot.”

“When you talk about the historic all-time levels of dominance, the conversation now begins and ends with Michael Jordan, Lionel Messi, Serena Williams and the pūteketeke.”

And for the first time, Oliver revealed how he chose which bird to throw his support behind – by Googling “New Zealand bird weird”.

Oliver also took a swing at the rockhopper penguin (tawaki piki toka), which received 40,000 fraudulent votes from a single person that were “thankfully caught” in the scrutineering process.

“You committed bird election fraud for the only penguin in the animal kingdom with frosted tips?” Oliver exclaimed, referring to the yellow-eyebrowed birds as “old punk assholes”.

He previously hurled insults at our national bird, the kiwi or a “rat holding a toothpick” and the kererū, or a “f…ing pigeon in a tank top”.

Oliver, who hijacked the competition by placing billboards for the pūteketeke around the world, commended Aotearoa for its “perfect” handling of the competition.

That included a gracious speech by the kea-backing Breakers basketball team, with CEO Lisa Edser conceding to the pūteketeke at a press conference, flanked by team mascot Cheeky the Kea, who was too upset to speak. (The kea placed third after the North Island brown kiwi.)

“While it’s not the result the kea community wanted, it is now important we all get behind the pūteketeke.”

Oliver thanked his viewers for the outpouring of support for the pūteketeke and gave Forest and Bird a final shout out for its conservation work.

Donations to Forest and Bird are used to advocate for nature out in the field and in courtrooms and with 128 conservation projects undertaking vital predator control, weeding and planting work across its 37 reserves of which it presides over.

Chief executive Nicola Toki said Oliver’s involvement in the competition prompted an “overwhelming level of generosity from donors here and around the world”.

“The donations that he’s helped to generate, and those that have come from

Kiwis who want to help, come at a crucial time for both Forest and Bird and for te taiao (nature).”

There are more threats than ever facing our wildlife and wild places. With both inactivity over climate change and pending cuts to the Department of Conservation’s budget, we must be able to take action.”

Oliver also promoted a metal pūteketeke ornament – including a clip-on of his face – available for purchase at MetalBird.com, with 30% of the proceeds benefiting the charity.

But his final thanks went to the Bird of the Century.

“Pūt, my old friend, none of this would have been possible without your Sid Vicious-esque hairstyle, your feather bone puking or just how weird you are at sex. You are a deeply odd bird.”