Takahe
Porphyrio hochstetteri
Status: Endangered. Hunted to, what was thought, extinction, but brought back slowly by 20th century conservation efforts.
Moa were species of flightless birds that were once endemic to New Zealand in the Late Pleistocene era, but within 100 years of human settlement in New Zealand, were hunted to extinction.
Flightless takahe were thought to be included in this group of extinct birds, hunted by European settlers to what was thought to be extinction, until they were rediscovered in 1948 in remote Murchison Mountains. Eventually through conservation efforts, larger populations were reintroduced into the wild.
Because of their long history of being thought extinct, their narrative has taken on a spiritual role of redemption, but also of human inconsequence: that despite mankind's self-importance, nature still keeps its own secrets and wonders. Ghostly, known only from their fossils prior to rediscovery, the invisible presence of takahe has shaped the plant life and diversity of their environment.
References:
Potts, A., Armstrong, P., Brown, D. S. (2013). A New Zealand Book of Beasts: Animals in Our Culture, History and Everyday Life. United States: Auckland University Press.
https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/birds/birds-a-z/takahe/