Huia

Heteralocha acutirostris (Gould, 1837)

Huia, Heteralocha acutirostris, was a New Zealand wattlebird of the North Island in Australasia. It bred in the island’s south-eastern mountain country, including the Ruahine, Tararua, Rimutaka and Kaimanawa ranges. The bird was notable for the marked difference between the sexes in bill form: the female had a long, slender, down-curved bill, while the male’s was shorter and heavier. It was also known for orange wattles, dark iridescent plumage and tail feathers with a broad white tip band. It lived in forest at both lower and higher elevations.

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Callaeidae — New Zealand Wattlebirds

Breeding range

Australasia: North I. (New Zealand)