Why did the huia become exinct?

Excessive Hunting & Collecting:

- Māori hunted the huia for its feathers, which they used for adornments and ceremonial purposes.

- European settlers also actively hunted the birds for their feathers and as scientific specimens.

Habitat Loss:

- The huia's forest habitat was extensively logged, cleared for farming and settlements, and fragmented due to human activities.

- This loss of habitat reduced the birds' food sources and suitable nesting sites.

Predation:

- Introduced mammalian predators, such as rats, stoats, and cats, preyed on huia eggs, chicks, and adult birds.

- These predators posed a significant threat to the huia's reproductive success.

Low Reproductive Rate:

- Huia had a relatively slow reproductive rate, producing only one to two eggs per breeding season.

- The loss of even a small number of breeding pairs, due to hunting or other factors, could significantly impact the population.

Human Disturbance:

- Disturbance from human activities, including logging, settlement, and tourism, disrupted the huia's behavior, breeding, and feeding patterns.

- Increased human presence in the huia's habitat led to stress, habitat avoidance, and reduced reproductive success.

Limited Genetic Diversity:

- The huia population had relatively low genetic diversity, making them more susceptible to the impacts of inbreeding and disease.

- This reduced genetic variation likely resulted from the species being confined to a specific geographic range and potentially from past population bottlenecks.