Heteralocha acutirostris (Huia)

[Melanie]

Tomotani, B.M., R.B. Salvador, A.J.M. Sabadel, C.M. Miskelly, J.C.S. Brown, J. Delgado, P. Boussès, Y. Cherel, S.M. Waugh, and S.J. Bury (2021)
Extreme bill dimorphism leads to different but overlapping isotopic niches and similar trophic positions in sexes of the charismatic extinct huia
Oecologia (advance online publication)
doi: 10.1007/s00442-021-05082-8

The New Zealand huia (Heteralocha acutirostris) had the most extreme bill sexual dimorphism among modern birds. Given the quick extinction of the species, the cause of the dimorphism could only be hypothesised to reflect different trophic niches and reduce male/female competition. We tested that hypothesis by combining museum specimens, geometric morphometrics, and isotopic analyses. We used geometric morphometrics to describe bill shape; measured bulk (δ15Nbulk) and (δ13Cbulk) values from feather as proxies of the birds’ foraging habitat and diet; and compared compound-specific stable isotopes analyses (CSIA) of nitrogen in amino acids (δ15NAA) in male–female pairs to estimate their trophic position. Sexes had significantly different, but overlapping feather δ15Nbulk and δ13Cbulk values, but δ15NAA indicated identical trophic positions and δ15Nbulk was not related to bill shape. Trophic position was less variable among females, consistent with a specialised foraging behaviour and, thus, supporting a partial male/female foraging segregation.

[Melanie]

Recent evolution of extreme sexual dimorphism in the huia (Heteralocha acutirostris; Callaeidae)

Highlights

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The New Zealand wattlebirds (Callaeidae) show significant variation in bill shape with the extinct huia also exhibiting extreme sexual dimorphism in bill morphology.
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Phylogenies based on genomic data recover the relationships within the family.
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Molecular dating indicates that the family radiated within 5-3-8.6 Ma, similar to other endemic New Zealand avian families.
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The large range of bill morphologies is not a consequence of longer divergence times but likely relates to the expansion of the huia into the wood foraging niche.

Abstract

The New Zealand wattlebirds (Callaeidae) are an endemic New Zealand passerine family whose species show extreme variation in bill morphology. In particular, the extinct huia (Heteralocha acutirostris) has attracted considerable attention because it exhibited extreme sexual dimorphism in bill morphology. However, the phylogenetic relationships within the Callaeidae, crucial for understanding bill evolution in the family, have not been resolved to date. Here we present phylogenies based on complete mitochondrial genome sequences and nuclear ultraconserved elements. Kōkako (Callaeas spp.) is strongly supported as sister taxon to saddleback/tīeke (Philesturnus spp.) and huia, diverging around 6.8 Ma. Saddleback and huia are estimated to have split from each other 5 Ma, indicating that the extreme sexual bill dimorphism in huia has evolved within this time frame. Our estimates for the divergences within the Callaetidae are similar to, or younger than, those of most other endemic New Zealand avian families, therefore the observed bill variation is not a consequence of a longer divergence time. Instead, the expansion of the huia into the wood-foraging niche, combined with the sexual dimorphism it evolved in order to optimise feeding on this resource, has been the main contributor to the large variation of bill morphologies within this family.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1055790322001889

[koeiyabe]

"Atlas of Extinct Animals (in Japanese)" by Radek Maly (2022)

[Melanie]

Philip Burton passed away in September 2023. In 1974, he published an interesting study on the bill morphology of the Huia

Burton, P. J. K. (1974) ‘Anatomy of the head and neck in the Huia Heteralocha
acutirostris with comparative notes on other Callacidae’, Bulletin of the British
Museum Natural History (Zoology Series), vol 27, pp1–48

Here is the complete publication

www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/314219

[Melanie]

Feather from extinct New Zealand huia auctioned for record-breaking figure – video

www.theguardian.com/world/video/2024/may/21/feather-from-extinct-new-zealand-huia-auctioned-for-record-breaking-figure-video

[Sebbe]

Augustus Hamilton’s fossil collection at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

Augustus Hamilton (1853–1913) was a New Zealand ethnologist and naturalist who amassed a significant collection of fossils, mostly of birds, during his career. Today, those fossils are housed in the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (NMNZ). While some fossils have been catalogued and integrated into the collection of the NMNZ, a large part remained unsorted and uncatalogued. The present study brings an integrated view of Hamilton’s collection at the NMNZ, highlighting the most significant fossils. In total, there are 3692 specimen lots collected by Hamilton in the NMNZ representing a large sample of taxa and a wide range of locations around Aotearoa New Zealand. Most fossils are of Holocene age and belong to birds. The collection includes type specimens, circa 250 specimen lots belonging to extinct species, and specimens belonging to otherwise poorly represented species in natural history collections. We hope that our study makes Hamilton’s fossils visible and more readily available for future research.

tuhinga.arphahub.com/article/97731/