huia

[hoo-yuh]

noun

an apparently extinct, crowlike bird, Heteralocha acutirostris, of New Zealand, noted for the completely different bill shapes of the male and female.

Origin of huia

First recorded in 1835–45, huia is from the Maori word hūia

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Examples from the Web for huia

Historical Examples of huia

Poor Huia grew into a splendid and talented youth, but was disabled by an accident while diving.
Fifty-One Years of Victorian Life
Margaret Elizabeth Leigh Child-Villiers, Countess of Jersey

British Dictionary definitions for huia

huia

noun

an extinct bird of New Zealand, Heteralocha acutirostris, prized by early Māoris for its distinctive tail feathers

Word Origin for huia

Māori

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012