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The species Huia is extinct. |
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- Heteralocha acutirostris
Identification
45 - 48cm. A species with a remarkable sexual dimorphism in bill shape.
- Blue-black plumage
- Orange wattles
- White-tipped tail feathers
- Bluish-grey legs
- Brown eyes
- Ivory-white bill, short (60mm) and slightly arched downwards in males, finer, longer (104mm) and decurved in females
Immatures had smaller pale wattles and duller plumage with brown spots.
Distribution
Formerly endemic to the Northern Island of New Zealand.
Extinct. Last official sighting in 1907, some later reports up to the 1920s. The reasons for its extinction are not clear. It might have been a combination of habitat loss and hunting by rapacious collectors for human adornment and museum specimens. Predation by introduced mammals may have played a significant role, too.
Taxonomy
Monotypic.
Habitat
Native lowland and montane forest.
Behaviour
Fed on insects, took also spiders and fruit. Searched for food in manner of a woodpecker on decaying wood.
It built a saucer-shaped nest about 35 cm across. 2-4 greyish eggs of 30 to 40 mm were normally laid.
Probably a resident species.
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2009. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 14: Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553507
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Huia. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 17 January 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Huia
