Extinct NZ bird feather soars to world record

The feather of an extinct New Zealand bird has sold for a world record price at an auction in Auckland.

The tail feather from a huia, a native New Zealand bird that became extinct early last century, went under the hammer for NZ$8400 - breaking the world record for the most ever paid for a feather. The previous record was a bald eagle feather that sold for US$2800.

Neil Campbell, director of Webb’s Auction House, said bidding for the rare feather rose to unprecedented heights very quickly.

"It reflects our passion for birds. As a young nation, we treasured birds and still do," Campbell said.

Both buyer and seller wanted to remain anonymous but the seller, from Porirua near Wellington, said it had been in his family for years.

The huia feather had been verified as genuine by Te Papa Tongarewa, New Zealand’s national museum.

Māori treasure
Huia feathers were considered tapu or sacred by New Zealand’s Māori people, and could only be worn by chiefs or other people of high status.

Māori chiefs wore karu huruhuru / feather cloaks made from a collection of feathers from the most beautiful birds including the huia.

The huia was prized for its white-tipped black tail feathers which were used to adorn the hair of high-ranking people. Chiefs also wore mareko - a group of 12 feathers from the tail - when going into battle.

Huia feathers were kept in special carved wooden treasure boxes called waka huia. The waka huia was considered tapu / sacred as it contained an individual’s most precious personal belongings.

As a taonga / treasure, waka huia could be gifted between tribes and families as a sign of friendship.

Royal fashion statement
While the huia was already rare before their arrival, it was European demand that finally hunted the bird to extinction in the early 20th century.

During the 19th century, many stuffed huia specimens were shipped off to northern hemisphere museums and homes, and the feathers and beaks were popular for brooches and hats.

But the final death knell could have been a 1902 royal visit by the Duke of York, who later became George V of England. When the Duke visited Rotorua, a Māori chief presented him with a huia feather that he wore back to England in his hat - a fashion statement that British women were prepared to pay highly for.

The last confirmed sighting of a huia was in 1907 in the Tararua Ranges, in the lower North Island.

Background: New Zealand huia

The huia is an extinct member of a unique family of birds that is endemic to New Zealand.

The huia was an insect-eating forest-dwelling bird that once lived throughout the North Island. It could fly but was more often seen bounding around the forest floor on its legs.

The huia had a deep melodious call, and was a striking bird with glossy blue / black feathers, white-tipped tail feathers, and an orange-red wattle. Male and female birds were identified by the shape of their beaks, and pairs bonded for life.

While predation and habitat destruction played a part, hunting - by Māori and Europeans - was the major cause of the huia’s extinction. The bird had little fear of humans and provided easy prey.

Māori tribes had imposed a ban on hunting the birds in spring and summer to allow numbers to recover. An attempt by Māori chiefs in the 1890s to put a tapu on the huia failed to protect the bird.

Although the last confirmed sighting of a huia was in 1907, there were reported sightings until the early 1920s.

The old New Zealand sixpence - a coin that circulated from 1933 - 1966 - featured a female huia on the reverse.