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.

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.

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 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 …

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.

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.

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.

Huia are Ching’s lasting obsession, but he has painted many species—these are British birds, commissioned for a Reader’s Digest book. Later, as a teenager working as a studio junior at a Marion Street advertising agency, he returned to the museum, this time to borrow a bird.

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 …

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.