Huia

The Huia was a songbird once native to New Zealand’s North Island, and it became extinct in the early twentieth century. DNA sequencing has shown that the Huia and its two close New Zealand relatives, the Kokako (genus Callaeas) and the Saddleback (genus Philesturnus), belong to an early branch of the songbird evolutionary tree and together make up a distinct monophyletic group. Earlier studies suggested that either the Huia or the Kokako may have been the first to diverge within this lineage. More recent work places the common ancestor of all three New Zealand wattlebirds in the late Miocene, about 6.8 million years ago. The Kokako appears to have split off first, with the Huia and Saddleback forming a sister pair that diverged around 4.8 million years ago, in the early Pliocene.¹

The Huia, measuring about 48 cm in length, was the largest species in the Callaeidae family. Its plumage was predominantly black with a slight dark blue sheen, except for a distinctive white band at the tips of the tail feathers. On either side of its face, near the tip of the beak, the Huia had prominent, round, orange wattles. Both sexes had white beaks with gray bases, but there was a significant difference in their shapes: the male’s beak was short and stout, while the female’s was long, slender, and had a pronounced downward curve.

The Huia primarily fed on insects that infested decaying wood, particularly the larvae of the Huhu beetle, which is native to New Zealand. Early explanations suggested that the significant difference in beak appearance between males and females likely facilitated cooperative foraging, with the male using his short, sturdy beak to chisel open the wood and the female using her long, slender beak to extract the insects. However, despite this phenomenon, the relationship between the sexes was not truly “cooperative.” ² Instead, the evolution of different beak shapes was more about reducing intraspecific competition, as it allowed the sexes to exploit different food sources.³ They were often observed in pairs, exhibiting strong bonds, believed to have formed lifelong mating pairs. Occasionally, they were seen in small groups of four or more. ⁴ Nesting occurred in October, with eggs hatching by November, typically producing a clutch of 1 to 5 eggs. The Huia’s migratory behavior is unclear; while there is speculation that they bred in higher altitudes and wintered at lower elevations, the general consensus is that they were non-migratory. ⁵ Their recognizable call is a soft whistle, like their name. They are attracted to this sound, and Māori hunters take advantage of this by mimicking the sound to trap them.

The Huia was restricted to specific areas of New Zealand’s North Island, particularly in the southern mountains and forests. Fossil records indicate that they once had a broader distribution across the North Island, but their range was reduced due to the settlement of the Maori. The arrival of Europeans in the 19th century exacerbated the situation, leading to a dramatic population decline in the latter half of the century. This decline was primarily driven by extensive deforestation, as vast tracts of native forest, which provided the decaying wood that was essential to the Huia’s specialized diet, were cleared for agriculture. Additionally, commercial hunting targeted the Huia for its striking beak and tail feathers. Before European contact, the Maori also hunted Huia, using the birds to create valuable ornaments. However, a balance was maintained due to hunting restrictions and the bird’s sacred status in Maori culture, preventing the species from being driven to extinction. This balance was disrupted by the economic pressures introduced by European settlers, leading to the species’ eventual extinction.

The last confirmed sighting of the Huia occurred on December 28, 1907, near the Tararua Range, when W.W. Smith reported seeing two male birds and one female. However, there is some debate regarding the exact date of this sighting, with existing literature suggesting that it may have taken place sometime between 1905 and 1907. ⁶ In the 1920s, there were a series of unverified reports of Huia sightings, with sporadic, unconfirmed records even continuing as late as 1961. ⁷