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.

Species information The iconic huia was the largest of the five New Zealand wattlebird species. It was a striking large songbird, mainly black with long white-tipped tail feathers. Female and male huia had dramatically different bill sizes and shapes; this was the most extreme sexual bill dimorphism of any bird species.

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. The last confirmed sighting came on 28th December, 1907 in Tararua Ranges.

Aug 19, 2023 · The Huia was a bird of deep metallic, bluish-black plumage with a greenish iridescence on the upper surface, especially about the head, not unlike the Tui. The tail feathers were unique among endemic birds in having a broad white band across tips.

Huia remain the world's greatest example of extreme dimorphism in bill morphology in birds, an adaptation that likely allowed them to exploit a greater range of foraging habitats and to minimise competition between the sexes.

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.

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. And its song was about to be silenced forever.

A new species of the genus Coraciacarus (Gabuciniidae, Pterolichoidea) from the huia Heteralocha acutirostris (Callaeatidae, Passeriformes), an extinct bird species from New Zealand.

Jul 12, 2023 · The Huia, "Heteralocha acutirostris" was a species of New Zealand Wattlebird endemic to the North Island of New Zealand.

Jul 1, 2011 · Perhaps the most celebrated of extinct passerines is the Huia (pronounced hoo-ee-ah). This strange, funereal-looking creature fascinated all of those who came into contact with it. First, it caught the imagination of the Maoris, who accorded it a …