A rare feather from an extinct New Zealand bird set a record at auction after selling for $46,521 NZD ($28,400 USD), the Webb's auction house announced Monday.
The huia bird, of the wattlebird family, was native to the North Island and last seen sometime between 1907 and 1920. The birds were once sacred to the Maōri people, and their feathers were worn by high-ranking individuals of the indigenous group, according to the auction house.
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After European colonizers arrived in New Zealand, Britain's Duke of York — later ascending the crown as King George V – was pictured wearing a huia feather in a hat during a visit in 1901. His fashion statement popularized the feather and is partly responsible for the bird's extinction. Other factors included deforestation of their natural habitat and the introduction of pests and other predators to the huia bird.
Webb's said the feather was predicted to sell for about $2,000 to $3,000 NZD ($1,218 -$1,830 USD). It shattered that estimate to become the world’s most expensive feather ever sold. The previous record sale of a feather also belonged to another huia feather that sold in 2010 for $8,400 NZD ($5,117 USD).
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“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.
The feather is encased behind UV-protected glass and is "Y-registered," meaning it is on the registry for New Zealand's Ministry of Culture & Heritage and cannot leave the country.
