World's most expensive feather

[Smithy]

A sale of a feather from the extinct NZ Huia sold for $NZ8,000 (£3,800) making it the most expensive feather in the world.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/newzealand/7846625/Most-expensive-feather-ever-fetches-4000-at-auction.html

Back home in NZ, about a decade ago I remember that cloning of the Huia had been approved but I haven't heard anything more of it.

Also every now and again when I was a kid, there was the odd hunter who would swear to having heard or seen one in the bush round the Ureweras and the Kaimais.

Beautiful bird and very unusual in the fact the male and female had very differently shaped beaks.

 

[Mojito]

So sad.

Poor Huias...I have a rather lovely book somewhere about extinct birds, and the descriptive passage the author used to close the piece on the Huias was haunting.

 

[Bourbon Guy]

Wonder what they tasted like.....

 

[Silver Dollar]

I think it tastes like chicken.

 

[HadleyH]

That's sad.

Use plastic/synthetic feathers... don't kill birds, all this useless killing of fauna for clothing gratification and ornamentation makes me sick.

 

[Bustercat]

The guys who used it for its feathers didn't make it extinct, it was the guys who came centuries later and wrecked its ecosystem because they had a better idea of how things should work.

I think cloning them is great. We should do that with all these species mankind has destroyed. They haven't been off the map too long, and progress took 'em out — why not use it to put 'em back?

Though it might have unforseen effects on the second-hand feather market.

 

[Miss Sis]

Indeed, sad to reflect on the demise of the Huia and other beautiful New Zealand birds. How many went the same way?

Reminds me of the old saying - 'No Moa, No Moa. They've gone and there ain't no Moa (more).'

For those not familiar with what a Moa was, it was a giant flightless bird, somewhat like an emu or ostrich, but bigger. Maori used their feathers for ceremonial cloaks as well as for food. I'm afraid they were hunted to extinction.

 

[Smithy]

Indeed, sad to reflect on the demise of the Huia and other beautiful New Zealand birds. How many went the same way?

One other that has always fascinated me Miss Sis was Haast's Eagle which was the world's largest eagle. They had a full size replica at a lookout in the Waitakere Ranges in Auckland, absolutely enormous.

Maori talked about a large bird of prey which killed people and in a NZ Geographic article, scientists think that this was Haast's Eagle as Maori at this time wore moa feather cloaks and the eagle quite possibly mistook them for moa, their natural food source. Their talons were the size of tiger claws, and due to their enormous size and strength they think that this is quite probable.

Rather incredible.