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Story: Ngā manu – birds

Huia

Image
Huia

This 1848 lithograph by John Gould shows a pair of a huia – a male (top) and female. The huia’s tail feathers were highly prized and worn by people of rank.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: PUBL-0026-19

by John Gould

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Kelly Keane, Ngā manu – birds – Symbols of status, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/12144/huia (accessed 14 June 2026).

Story by Kelly Keane, published 1 March 2009, updated 17 February 2015.