Object

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Record Image
Accession No TO.550
Name/Title Heteralocha acutirostris (Huia); male, mount
Brief Description A male and female huia are set together in a bush scene; this record is for the female bird. Huia lived in the forest, and like many of New Zealand's rare or extinct birds they were weak fliers, moving about mainly on foot, both on the ground and in the canopy. The male has been remounted alone on a branch.

The huia is one of the only birds in the world in which the male and female have very different shaped beaks. The female's beak is long, thin and curved while the male's is short and strong. These birds ate insects, spiders, and berries, and mating pairs are said to have co-operated in their search for food.

Huia are tapu (sacred) to Maori. Wearing huia feathers was reserved for people of mana (high status).

Once present throughout the North Island, huia were only seen in the southern North Island by the time of European settlement. They became much sought after by natural history museums and private collectors throughout the world, and it is certain that commercial hunting for the feather trade, as well as clearance of lowland forest for farming, were the major factors in finally destroying so tame a bird. The last confirmed sighting of a huia was in 1907.
Classification Heteralocha acutirostris/Heteralocha
Measurement Reading 40cm
11cm
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