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A feather from a long-extinct New Zealand bird has set a record after selling for $46,521 NZD (about $28,400 USD), the auction house handling the sale has said.
The huia bird was last officially spotted in the early 20th century and its feathers have previously sold for up to $8,400 NZD (about $5,100), according to Webb’s Auction House.
The huia bird feather, which was expected to sell for up to $3,000 NZD ($1,830), smashed the estimate on Monday to become the world’s most expensive feather ever sold, Webb’s Auction House said.
“This rare huia feather is a beautiful example of Aotearoa’s natural history and reminds us of the fragility of our ecosystem,” Leah Morris, head of decorative arts at the Auckland-based auction house, said in a statement.
A member of the wattle-bird family, the huia was prized by many people - ultimately proving fatal for the species.
For Maori, the bird’s feathers were a mark of high status and the distinctive, white-tipped plumage were used for ceremonial headdresses. Only those of chiefly rank were permitted to wear huia feathers in their hair or whole skins in their ears, according to the Museum of New Zealand.
The feathers were often traded for other valuable goods or given as gifts to demonstrate friendship and respect, the auction house said.
European New Zealanders also came to see the huia as a symbol of prestige. They used the animal’s feathers for fashion accessories and stuffed huia were mounted as decoration in wealthy homes, according to the museum.
The museum explains that Maori and European hunters killed the bird in “great numbers” during the 19th century, selling the skin to collectors and fashion merchants.
The huia’s “lethal popularity” reportedly grew even more when the Duke and Duchess of York were photographed wearing feathers in their hats during a trip to New Zealand in 1901.
“People kind of had a frenzy and decided that everyone wanted a huia feather,” said Morris of the event.
The huia bird feather is now the most expensive auctioned bird feather at about $28,400.
Lewis Musonye
