Scissor-billed Koa Finch
Rhodacanthis forfex
The scissor-billed koa finch, (Rhodacanthis forfex) or scissor finch is an extinct species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. Of the four species in the genus Rhodacanthis, the scissor-billed koa finch and the primitive koa finch became extinct before the arrival of the first Europeans to Hawaii in 1778. It was endemic to the islands of Maui and Kauaʻi in the Hawaiian Islands.
From the article Scissor-billed koa finch on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Range & habitat
Scissor-billed koa finch fossils have been found on Maui and Kauai. Based on its disjunct distribution, the species might have occurred on all of the main islands (except the island of Hawaii), although more fossils are needed for confirmation.
Wikipedia: “Distribution”
What it does
The scissor-billed koa finch was a granivore, that, like the other members of its genus, had a bill adapted to eat the hard seeds and pods of legumes. Pollen and fossil evidence indicates that Ka palupalu o Kanaloa (Kanaloa kahoolawensis) and koaiʻa (Acacia koaia) were probably important food sources, and it may have eaten caterpillars and ʻaʻaliʻi (Dodonaea viscosa) berries.
Wikipedia: “Diet”
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Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
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In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Rhodacanthis forfex in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 311537.