 The huia was found throughout the North Island before humans arrived in New Zealand. The Māori are estimated to have arrived around 800 years ago, and by the arrival of European settlers in the 1840s, habitat destruction and hunting had reduced the bird's range to the southern North Island. However, Māori hunting pressures on the huia were limited to some extent by traditional protocols. The hunting season was from May to July when the bird's plumage was in prime condition, while a rāhui (hunting ban) was enforced in spring and summer. It was not until European settlement that the huia's numbers began to decline severely, due mainly to two well-documented factors: widespread deforestation and over hunting.
