A single feather of an extinct bird was auctioned off in New Zealand on Monday for about NZ$46,521, or about $28,000, making it the most expensive feather ever sold worldwide.

The feather of the huia, a songbird native to New Zealand's North Island, is sacred to the Maori people and was worn by elite chiefs.

But the bird has been extinct for over a century, with its last sighting in 1907.

The huia feather sold at Webb's Auction House in Auckland was initially estimated to be worth around $1,830, but its sale price ballooned after 59 bids.

Its final price of $28,000 makes it worth more by weight than gold. Gold costs around $77 per gram in New Zealand, and the 9-gram huia feather is worth $3,153 per gram.