12 huia birds greet a new day,
in songs that sweetly share the word.
With orange cheeks and funny-shaped beaks,
they are a beautiful sight to be heard.

Do you know the story of the majestic vanished huia bird? The largest of the New Zealand forest birds, the huia were very special and their loss is one of the great tragedies of New Zealand conservation history. The story of this sacred bird with the curved beak and white-tipped tail feathers is one we can all learn from as we look to care for our environment today and in the years to come.

Learn more about this special bird through the discovery of interactive elements on each page of the richly illustrated story. Through tapping and dragging, you can move the story along by yourself and see what happens with the arrival of strange creatures to the huia’s land of forest green.

“12 Huia Birds” is filled with animation, music and sound on every page to bring the magical huia back to life. As told by acclaimed New Zealand actor, George Henare, the story can be read in English or te reo Māori. Or select the option to read the story for yourself.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Uncover stuff to tap and swipe on every page
• Fantastic illustrations, fully animated
• Music and sound
• Story told by distinguished actor, George Henare
• Narration options: English and te reo Māori
• Turn on/off narration, text and audio

DISCOVER SECTION HIGHLIGHTS

• Interact with a 360 turn around of 2 real huia birds
• Recreated sound of the huia bird
• 3 types of of memory games
• Field guide to learn more about the huia
• 12 Ways you can help wild birds

CHILD FRIENDLY

• No in-app purchases.
• Parental controls
• No location data collected.

12 Huia Birds was made with the assistance of NZOnAir.