Wie hängen sie zusammen

Remarkably well-preserved are the wing and tail feathers of the Messelhopf, which lived 48 million years ago in the jungles of the Messel Pit. The Lappenhopf or Huia also features beautifully patterned black and white feathers, which were considered sacred by the Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. As European settlers began using Huia feathers for hat decorations, the resulting hunting hastened the extinction of the Huia and made their feathers even more desirable.