Huia - Definition and Overview

This article is about the Huia, an extinct bird species. For the place, see Huia (place).

The Huia (Heteralocha acutirostris) was a bird that was native to New Zealand. It is now extinct, the last confirmed sighting being in 1907. The then Governor-General, the Earl of Onslow, tried to provide legal protection for the Huia but it was too little, too late. The bird was probably already in decline before the arrival of European settlers: in 1888, a party of 11 Maori obtained 646 Huia skins from the forest between the Manawatu Gorge and Akitio.

The bird had blue-black plumage, with white tail feather tips, and a bright orange wattle. The male's beak was short and straight while the female's beak was long and curved, a striking example of sexual dimorphism. A recording of the bird's song does exist.

The Huia's distinctive black tail feathers tipped with white were often worn by Maori chiefs as a sign of their status. This custom was later adopted by Pakeha women as a symbol of social standing. The visit of the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII, to New Zealand in 1905 produced a frenzied demand for Huia feathers among all classes of social climbers and the bird was reported extinct shortly afterwards.

A serious project has been started in the area to investigate the possible cloning of the bird from the remains of stuffed specimens.

The bird shares its name with a small community in Waitakere, where it was once found.