Huia: Rare bird feathers sell for more than $10,000 each

By RNZ

Three special feathers have been sold at an auction in Auckland today for more than $10,000 each.

Webb’s head of decorative arts, Leah Morris said one rare huia feather sold for $19,000, another went under the hammer for $13,000 and the third for $10,000.

A huia feather up for auction by Webb's. Photo: Supplied / Webb's Auction House

Morris said a buyer is still negotiating over the sale of a fourth feather and a fifth was sold privately for $5000.

Interest in the extinct native bird’s feathers has soared since a single feather sold at Webb’s earlier this year for a record $46,521 – making the feather the most expensive in the world, and more expensive than gold.

The huia is now extinct. The last confirmed sighting was in 1907.

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