The huia is one of New Zealand's best-known extinct birds because of its bill shape and beauty, as well as its special place in Māori culture and oral tradition. The bird was regarded by Māori as tapu (sacred), and the wearing of its skin or feathers was reserved for people of high status.

Oct 4, 2022 · Huia bird was the largest New Zealand wattlebird species endemic to the Northern Island of the country. This species went extinct in the early 20th century. Conservation efforts to save this species started in the 1890s, but they were not properly enforced.

Together they form the New Zealand endemic bird family Callaeidae, comprising North and South Island species of kokako and saddleback (tieke), and the now extinct huia. All have (or had) rounded wings, limited powers of sustained flight, and …

In the late 19th century, news of a strange antipodean bird with beautiful tail feathers, orange wattles, and a long curved beak spread around the British Empire. To Māori, it was a tapu bird—a sacred treasure.

Jul 12, 2023 · The Huia, (IPA: [hui]) (Heteralocha acutirostris) was a species of New Zealand Wattlebird endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. It became extinct in the early 20th century, primarily as a result of overhunting and widespread habitat destruction, and partially due to collection for museums.

Sep 15, 2024 · The louse Rallicola extinctus was found on huia specimens and likely lived exclusively on this bird, making the bird its specialized host. The extinction of many bird species is often accompanied by the loss of host-specific insect species.

Oct 24, 2023 · The huia (Heteralocha acutirostris) was a majestic bird with vibrant orange wattles, shiny black feathers and white-tipped tail feathers. Unfortunately, this bird is extinct, with the last recorded sighting in December 1907.

The huia, now extinct, was one of five species from an ancient New Zealand family, Callaeidae. The other two are the saddleback and kōkako. In common with these surviving relatives, the huia had a coloured wattle (skin at the base of the bill) and small wings for flying short distances, and it bounded through the forest on long, powerful legs.

Considered tapu by Māori, this glossy black relative of the kōkako and saddleback was last seen in 1907—driven to extinction by introduced mammals, habitat loss, and human hunting for its beautiful, ivory-tipped tail feathers. Photographs of the huia didn’t survive, and its song, too, would by now be lost, were it not for two men from Moawhango.

Before the arrival of Europeans, the huia (Heteralocha acutirostris) was already a rare bird, confined to the mountain ranges of the lower North Island. Its blue-black plumage was similar to the tūī’s, but the white-banded tail feathers were unique among endemic birds …