World's most expensive bird's feather auctioned, buyer banned from leaving the country

 

There are many birds around the world, out of which all the birds have some specialty, the feather of one such bird has recently been auctioned, after which that feather has become the most expensive feather in the world. This feather belongs to the Huaya bird of New Zealand, which is now extinct. In earlier times, these birds were much liked. Their feathers are very beautiful to look at.

This auction was held on 20 May at the Web Auction House. The Auction House said that the auction price of this feather was estimated to be 1 lakh 53 thousand, but beyond everyone's imagination, this feather was auctioned for more than 23 lakh rupees. The Auction House said that the Huaya bird was last officially seen in the beginning of the 20th century.

These feathers used to show the high standards of the people

Leah Morris, Head of Decorative Arts at Oxon House in Auckland, said the rare huia bird's feathers were a beautiful example of New Zealand's natural history and a reminder to all of us of the fragility of ecosystems. The huia bird, a part of the cattle bird family, was praised by many people and this praise proved to be bad for the bird. For the Maori tribe, the huia's feathers represented high standards, according to this tribe, the white feathers were only worn to decorate hair during a big event.

Poaching took place in large numbers for trade.

According to the Museum of New Zealand, not everyone could use this feather, only people of high ranking profile could wear it in their hair or in their ears. After a time this feather started being used as a trade. Many people used to give it for some expensive item and many people started doing it to gift a special person. In New Zealand this feather came to be considered very special. Due to this, in the 19th century, Maori and other people started hunting this bird and sold these dead birds and their skins to traders or any fashion merchants.

The worst time for these birds came when pictures of the Duke and Duchess of York wearing feathers in their hats surfaced in the year 1901. Many plans were made to save these birds. This feather is considered a national item, so to buy and sell it, there must be a permit from the Culture and Heritage Ministry of New Zealand. The person who buys this feather cannot go out of the country without the permission of the Ministry.