The
wattlebirds
of
New
Zealand
are
not
found
anywhere
else
in
the
world,
and
the
huia
was
unique
as
the
only
bird
in
the
world
with
completely
different
beak
forms
in
the
male
and
female.
The
ancient
Callaeidae
family
flew
to
New
Zealand
60
million
years
ago,
and
like
many
of
the
birds
in
the
isolated
archipelago,
huia
adopted
ground
feeding
habits
in
an
ecology
devoid
of
mammals.
Following
the
extinction
of
the
dinosaurs,
unlike
other
lands
which
were
dominated
by
mammals,
New
Zealand
was
occupied
by
birds.
The
Seventy-Mile
Bush,
which
stretched
from
Norsewood
to
south
of
Opaki
was
the
densest
lowland
podocarp
forest
in
the
world
and
was
full
of
a
unique
suite
of
birds
occupying
every
ecological
niche.
The
birds
included
the
kakapo,
hihi,
bellbird,
wood
pigeon,
robin,
weka,
kokako
and
kiwi.
Although
the
huia
lived
in
other
North
Island
areas
such
as
the
Tararua
Ranges,
the
Kaimanawa
Ranges
and
the
Urewera,
they
were
never
more
abundant
than
in
and
around
this
dense
bush
near
Dannevirke
and
Norsewood.
This
was
the
last
bastion
of
the
huia
and
could
justly
claim
to
be
the
"home
of
the
huia".
Attempts
to
save
the
huia
In
the
1880’s
Maori
chiefs
in
the
Manawatu
and
Wairarapa
regions
put
a
tapu
on
the
huia,
which
meant
that
it
was
illegal
under
Maori
law
to
kill
huia.
The
Maori
chiefs
asked
the
Europeans
to
stop
killing
the
huia
as
well.
There
were
even
some
attempts
made
to
transfer
huia
to
island
sanctuaries.
Unfortunately
these
attempts
were
not
successful.
According
to
the
definitive
account
"The
Book
of
the
Huia"
by
W.J.
Phillips
huia
feathers
from
birds
in
the
Ruahine
Ranges
were
"always
preferred"
due
to
a
broader
tail
band.
This
ancient
bird,
was
regarded
by
Maori
as
the
most
royal
of
all
New
Zealand
birds,
and
was
a
sacred
taonga
or
treasure
especially
to
the
Rangitane
Iwi
(and
Ngati
Huia
of
the
Ngati
Raukawa
Iwi)
and
sustainably
managed
with
tapu
and
rahui
(or
bans)
placed
on
hunting
at
particular
locations
or
during
some
seasons.
To
the
early
settlers
and
ornithologists
such
as
Walter
Buller,
it
was
regarded
as
the
tamest
of
all
New
Zealand
birds
with
the
most
beautiful
birdsong.
The
Huia
was
also
unique
in
that
the
female
and
male
beaks
were
shaped
differently
making
the
bird
internationally
sought
after
and
traded
by
collectors
and
museums
around
the
world.
The
wattlebirds
of
New
Zealand
are
not
found
anywhere
else
in
the
world,
and
the
huia
was
unique
as
the
only
bird
in
the
world
with
completely
different
beak
forms
in
the
male
and
female.
The
ancient
Callaeidae
family
flew
to
New
Zealand
60
million
years
ago,
and
like
many
of
the
birds
in
the
isolated
archipelago,
huia
adopted
ground
feeding
habits
in
an
ecology
devoid
of
mammals.