Greater Koa Finch (Rhodacanthis palmeri)
Posted on 31 December, 1896 in Extinct
Year Last Seen:
1896
Comments:
This species was known from Hawaii's Big Island, USA, but it is now Extinct due to logging of its forest habitat. It was last recorded in 1896, and collectors visiting in 1906 failed to find it.
Habitat:
It inhabited koa forest above 1,000 m .
Causes:
Though the causes of its extinction are not known, habitat destruction and the introduction of avian malaria are likely to have been responsible.
Distribution:
Rhodacanthis palmeri was endemic to Hawai`i, USA (Stattersfield et al. 1998). It was considered common by Palmer, Munro and Perkins in the late 19th century, but the latter's specimens from 1896 were the last, and even only ten years later it could not be found by Henshaw (Amadon 1950). There are specimens in Cambridge, Harvard, London, New York and Philadelphia (Greenway 1967).