Taxidermy: A Re-creation of "Colenso's" Huia (†Heteralocha acutirostris), circa 2023, by Barry Williams, Taxidermy, Cannock Staffordshire, a full mount re-creation of an adult female huia, perched upon a partially buried log, amidst tall grasses and fauna, mounted above painted soil covered groundwork, enclosed within a period oval glass dome, supported upon the original ebonised base, 36cm by 19cm by 55cm, furniture item not included

In July 1886 the Rev. William Colenso was given the head of a female huia which had been shot by a Māori hunter in bush between Tahoraiti and Oringi. The upper mandible of its bill looking not unlike a corkscrew. Colenso, after describing the beak commented; "From it's strange configuration it appears to have been far more than merely useless, for it must have always been an obstacle in the way and means of keeping the bird’s mouth constantly open. How it could have managed to exist seems truly wonderful". The huia was a fully adult bird and it would appear that it managed to exist because of the devotion of its mate, who must have both found food for her, and fed her, confirming everything that the Māori had reported about the huia's emotional and physical co-dependence on its partner. The beak has been recreated using a cast from a female huia skull shot by William Northover in Gollan's Valley, nr Wellington - manipulated to form Colenso shape, Barry Williams, Cannock

The Huia birds extinction had two primary causes. The first was rampant overhunting to procure huia skins for mounted specimens and their tail feathers for hat decorations. The second major cause was the widespread deforestation of the lowlands of the North Island by European settlers to create pasture for agriculture. Most of these forests were ancient, ecologically complex primary forests, and huia were unable to survive in regenerating secondary forests. It was already a rare bird before the arrival of Europeans, confined to the Ruahine, Tararua, Rimutaka and Kaimanawa mountain ranges in the south-east of the North Island. It was remarkable for having the most pronounced sexual dimorphism in bill shape of any bird species in the world. The female's beak was long, thin and arched downward, while the male's was short and stout, like that of a crow. Males were 45 cm (18 in) long, while females were larger at 48 cm (19 in). The sexes were otherwise similar, with orange wattles and deep metallic, bluish-black plumage with a greenish iridescence on the upper surface, especially about the head. The tail feathers were unique among New Zealand birds in having a broad white band across the tips