The most expensive feather on the planet costs more than 28,000 USD

The selling price of a rare extinct bird's feathers reached more than 46,000 NZD, making it the world's most expensive feather ever sold at auction to date.

Feathers of the Huia bird - a bird endemic to New Zealand and extinct - have a starting price of 3,000 NZD (more than 1,800 USD), but eventually sell for 15 times that price, according to The Guardian.

Huia New Zealand feathers sold at auction for record sum. (Photo: Webb).

As of May 20, the above figure of 46,000 NZD (more than 28,000 USD) has beaten the record of the Huia feather sold in 2010 for 8,400 USD.

According to Gold Broker 's latest data , the feather weighs about 9g, meaning 1g of it is worth 5,169 USD . That makes the feather much more valuable than gold - only 127 USD/g.

Huia belongs to the family Callaeidae and is the largest species of Callaeidae endemic to the North Island, New Zealand. They are known for their beautiful songs, glossy coats of mostly black color, and long tail feathers tinged with white.

This bird has sacred significance to the Maori (New Zealand's indigenous Polynesian people - PV). Their images frequently appear in song lyrics and sayings; Wearing costumes made from Huia fur is reserved for chiefs and prestigious figures.

Then, the European feather "fever" to New Zealand caused the rare bird to become extinct. The last sighting of the Huia was in 1907, although many believe they lived until the 1920s.

The only feather of a Huia bird - a bird that has been extinct since the early 1900s. (Photo: Webb).

The desire to own Huia-related items remains strong internationally. In 2023, a pair of stuffed Huias sold at an auction in England for 466,000 NZD (nearly 285,000 USD), despite public pleas for the New Zealand government to intervene and bring them home.

Leah Morris, head of decorative arts at Webb auction house in Auckland - where the feather was sold on May 20 - believes three factors pushed up the "closing price" including: the excellent condition of the feather. the feather, preservation efforts using archival paper and UV glass, as well as the story of Huia.

'It doesn't have a lot of feathers clumping together… You'll also see it still retains much of its color… iridescent dark brown and shows no signs of insect damage. Huia is an iconic bird. A lot of people relate to this bird in some way ," she expressed.

The feather has been registered as a taonga tūturu (authentic treasure) with the Department of Culture and Heritage, meaning that only a registered 'taonga tūturu' collector can own it. The feather also cannot leave New Zealand without receiving approval from the authorities.