Callaeidae

Callaeidae, songbird family, order Passeriformes, collectively called wattlebirds (a name also applied to certain honeyeaters).

Callaeids are found only in the deep forests of New Zealand. They are long-tailed, strong-footed, and weak-winged and have fleshy wattles at the corners of the mouth. Callaeids eat fruits and occasionally insects, which are taken on the ground. They build loose, shallow nests, lined with ferns, on ledges or in hollows.

The three callaeid species are the kokako (q.v.; Callaeas cinerea), the saddleback (q.v.; Creadion carunculatus), and the huia (Heteralocha acutirostris). The first two are rare and in danger of extinction; the huia has been extinct since the early 20th century.

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The huia was noteworthy for the extreme sexual dimorphism in the shape of the strongly tapered bill, the male’s being nearly straight, the female’s curving downward. The adaptive value of this differentiation is uncertain, but some authorities believe that the birds engaged in cooperative feeding, the male chiseling rotten wood and the female probing for grubs that were exposed.