A single feather from an extinct New Zealand bird has fetched a record price after selling for NZ$46,521 (US$26,237) on Monday, the auction house that handled the sale said.

The bird was last officially sighted in the early 1900s and its feathers have previously sold for as much as NZ$8400 (US$4738), according to auction house Webb's, reported the BBC .

The feather, which had been expected to sell for up to NZ$3000 (US$1692), soared past its estimate to become the most expensive single feather ever sold.

"This rare huia feather is a beautiful example of Aotearoa [the Maori name for New Zealand] natural history and serves as a reminder of the fragility of our ecosystem," Leah Morris, Webb's head of decorative arts and design, said in a statement .

Part of the wattlebird family, the huia was highly prized. For Maori, the bird's feathers were a symbol of high status, and its distinctive white-tipped tail feathers were used in ceremonial cloaks.

Only those of chiefly rank were permitted to wear huia feathers in their hair or ears, according to the Museum of New Zealand .

The feathers were also frequently traded for other valuable items or given as gifts to show friendship and respect.

According to the museum, European New Zealanders also came to see the huia as a symbol of prestige, and its feathers were used in fashionable accessories. Stuffed huia were also popular decorative features in wealthy homes.

Its extinction came after the bird was hunted "in huge numbers" by both Maori and European hunters during the 19th century, who sold its feathers to collectors and fashion traders.

Its "fatal popularity" was further fuelled when the Duke and Duchess of York were photographed wearing the feathers in their hats during a 1901 tour of New Zealand.

"People went a bit crazy and decided they all had to have a huia feather," Webb's head of decorative arts and design said of the incident.

Despite attempts by early 1900s conservationists to save the bird, their efforts failed, and a government plan to transfer huia to offshore islands was undermined by the sale of dead specimens, which was more "lucrative" than keeping them alive.

To participate in Monday's auction, all potential buyers were required to provide a licence from the New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage prior to the sale.

Because it is an object of national significance, the feather could only be bought by licensed collectors and cannot be exported from the country without a permit from the ministry.

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