A New Zealand parrot that rose to stardom after trying to mate with the head of a TV host is the country's new "spokesbird" for conservation, officials said.

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Prime Minister John Key said Sirocco, an endangered kakapo parrot whose attempted romantic rendezvous with the head of TV host Mark Carwardine made him a YouTube star, is the first New Zealand resident to receive the official title "spokesbird," Britain's The Daily Telegraph reported Monday.

Key said Sirocco's celebrity will help bring awareness to conservation.

"He's very media-savvy, he's got a worldwide fan base -- they hang on every squawk that comes out of his beak. He'll be a great official spokesbird for New Zealand," he said."Sirocco can speak very loudly on this topic and by the end of this campaign people will be a lot more aware of what's going on."