Hawaiian honeycreepers are small, passerine

Passerine

A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...

 bird

Bird

Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...

s endemic to Hawaii

Hawaii

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

. Some authorities still categorize this group as a family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Drepanididae, but in recent years, most authorities consider them a subfamily

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

, Drepanidinae, of Fringillidae, the finch

Finch

The true finches are passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. They are predominantly seed-eating songbirds. Most are native to the Northern Hemisphere, but one subfamily is endemic to the Neotropics, one to the Hawaiian Islands, and one subfamily – monotypic at genus level – is found...

 family. The entire group is also called "Drepanidini" in treatments where buntings and American sparrow

American sparrow

American sparrows are a group of mainly New World passerine birds, forming part of the family Emberizidae. American sparrows are seed-eating birds with conical bills, brown or gray in color, and many species have distinctive head patterns....

s (Emberizidae

Emberizidae

The Emberizidae are a large family of passerine birds. They are seed-eating birds with a distinctively shaped bill.In Europe, most species are called buntings. In North America, most of the species in this family are known as sparrows, but these birds are not closely related to the sparrows, the...

) are included in the finch family; this term is preferred for just one subgroup of the birds today.

Classification

The group is divided into three tribe

Tribe (biology)

In biology, a tribe is a taxonomic rank between family and genus. It is sometimes subdivided into subtribes.Some examples include the tribes: Canini, Acalypheae, Hominini, Bombini, and Antidesmeae.-See also:* Biological classification* Rank...

s, but only very provisionally so. Several taxa appear to be too basal to really place into one of these, and others are best considered incertae sedis

Incertae sedis

, is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...

. Some unusual forms never seen alive by scientists, such as Xestospiza

Xestospiza

Xestospiza is a genus containing two species of birds with cone-shaped bills that were described on the basis of fossils. They were possibly insectivores. It consists of the following:* Cone-billed Finch - prehistoric...

 or Vangulifer, cannot easily be placed into any group.

Psittirostrini

Members of Psittirostrini

Psittirostrini

Psittirostrini is one of three tribes belonging to the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanidinae. It is made up of the thick-billed birds, colloquially known as the Hawaiian finches, that once inhabited all of the Hawaiian Islands. These birds are granivorous and have songs like those of...

, known as "Hawaiian finches", are granivorous

Seed predation

Seed predation, often referred to as granivory, is a type of plant-animal interaction in which granivores feed on the seeds of plants as a main or exclusive food source, in many cases leaving the seeds damaged and not viable...

 with thick finch-like bills, and songs like those of cardueline

Carduelis

The genus Carduelisis a large group of birds in the finch family Fringillidae. It includes the greenfinches, redpolls, goldfinches, linnets, the twite, and the non-African siskins...

 finches. The group once covered the islands. Finch-billed drepanids include the Laysan finch

Laysan Finch

The Laysan Finch is a species of finch in the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanidinae, that is endemic to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It is one of four remaining finch-billed Hawaiian honeycreepers, and is closely related to the smaller Nihoa Finch. The Laysan Finch is named for...

, the Nihoa finch

Nihoa Finch

The Nihoa Finch is one of the two endemic bird species of the tiny Hawaiian island Nihoa, the other being the Nihoa Millerbird. When it was classified in 1917, scientists thought that it would be the last endemic species named. This was later found untrue. The island's population is 1000-3000 birds...

, the Maui parrotbill

Maui Parrotbill

The Maui Parrotbill or kiwikiu is a species of finch in the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanidinae, that is endemic to Maui in Hawaii. It can only be found in of mesic and wet forests at on the windward slopes of Haleakalā. This species is critically endangered, with an estimated...

 and the palila

Palila

The Palila is a critically endangered finch-billed species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. It has a golden-yellow head and breast, with a light belly, gray back, and greenish wings and tail...

, which may be the last remaining species left alive in this group. Extinct species include the four Koa finches

Rhodacanthis

Rhodacanthis is an extinct genus of finches in the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanidinae. All four species were endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Members of this genus were granivores, with bills adapted to the seeds and pods of legumes. The two species that became extinct in the 1890s,...

, the [[ʻŌʻū|Ōū]], and the Lānai Hookbill.

Hemignathini

Hemignathini

Hemignathini

Hemignathini is a tribe of bird in the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanidinae. Of the three tribes in Drepanidinae, Hemignathini is the largest. It contains the Creepers, the extinct Akialoas, Amakihi, and extinct Nukupu'us. This group is made up of long-billed insectivores, but several of...

 includes the Hawaii creeper and its allies, such as the nukupuu. These are generally green-plumaged birds with thin bills, and feed on nectar and insect

Insect

Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...

s. Members of this group usually have green, yellow, orange, red, and grey feathers.

Drepanidini

Species in the tribe Drepanidini

Drepanidini

Drepanidini is a tribe of birds in the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanidinae. Members of this tribe are nectarivorous and have brightly-colored plumage...

 are nectarivorous

Nectarivore

In zoology, nectarivore is an animal which eats the sugar-rich nectar produced by flowering plants. Most nectarivores are insects or birds, but there are also nectarivorous mammals, notably several species of bats in the Southwestern United States and Mexico, as well as the Australian Honey Possum...

, and their songs contain nasal squeaks and whistles. Members of this group often have red black, yellow, white and orange plumage

Plumage

Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...

. It includes the [[ʻIʻiwi|iwi]].

Characteristics

The male Hawaiian honeycreepers are more brightly coloured than the females in the Psittirostrini, but in the Hemignathini, they often look very similar. The flower

Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...

s of the native ōhia lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha

Metrosideros polymorpha

The ōhia lehua is a species of flowering evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that is endemic to the six largest islands of Hawaii. It is a highly variable tree, being tall in favorable situations, and much smaller when growing in boggy soils or on basalt...

) are favoured by a number of nectarivorous

Nectarivore

In zoology, nectarivore is an animal which eats the sugar-rich nectar produced by flowering plants. Most nectarivores are insects or birds, but there are also nectarivorous mammals, notably several species of bats in the Southwestern United States and Mexico, as well as the Australian Honey Possum...

 honeycreepers. Many species of this subfamily have been noted to have a plumage odor that has been termed the "Drepanidine odor", and is suspected to have a role in making the bird distasteful to predators.

The wide range of bills in this group, from thick, finch-like bills to slender, downcurved bills for probing flowers have arisen through adaptive radiation

Adaptive radiation

In evolutionary biology, adaptive radiation is the evolution of ecological and phenotypic diversity within a rapidly multiplying lineage. Starting with a recent single ancestor, this process results in the speciation and phenotypic adaptation of an array of species exhibiting different...

, where an ancestral finch has evolved to fill a large number of ecological niche

Ecological niche

In ecology, a niche is a term describing the relational position of a species or population in its ecosystem to each other; e.g. a dolphin could potentially be in another ecological niche from one that travels in a different pod if the members of these pods utilize significantly different food...

s. Some 20 species of Hawaiian honeycreeper have become extinct in the recent past, and many more in earlier times, between the arrival of the Polynesians

Polynesians

The Polynesian peoples is a grouping of various ethnic groups that speak Polynesian languages, a branch of the Oceanic languages within the Austronesian languages, and inhabit Polynesia. They number approximately 1,500,000 people...

 who introduced the first rat

Rat

Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...

s, chickens, pigs, and dogs, and hunted and converted habitat for agriculture.

Genera and species

The term "prehistoric" indicates species that went extinct between the initial human settlement of Hawaii (i.e., from the late 1st millennium AD on) and European contact in 1778.

SUBFAMILY DREPANIDINAE

• Tribe Drepanidini
  Drepanidini
  Drepanidini is a tribe of birds in the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanidinae. Members of this tribe are nectarivorous and have brightly-colored plumage...
  
  
  • Genus Ciridops
    Ciridops
    Ciridops is an extinct genus of Hawaiian honeycreeper species that occurred in prehistoric and historic times on the Hawaiian islands of Hawai'i, Molokai, Kauai and Oahu. This genus was created in 1892 by Alfred Newton in an article published by the journal Nature on the basis of the...
    
     Newton
    Alfred Newton
    Alfred Newton FRS was an English zoologist and ornithologist.Newton was Professor of Comparative Anatomy at Cambridge University from 1866 to 1907...
    
    , 1892 - finch-like, fed on fruit of Pritchardia
    Pritchardia
    The genus Pritchardia consists of between 24-40 species of fan palms found on tropical Pacific Ocean islands in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Tuamotus, and Hawaii. The generic name honours William Thomas Pritchard , a British consul at Fiji.-Description:These palms vary in height, ranging from...
    
     species
    • Ciridops anna Dole, 1879 - [[ʻUla-ʻai-Hawane|Ula ai hāwane]] (extinct
      Holocene extinction event
      The Holocene extinction refers to the extinction of species during the present Holocene epoch . The large number of extinctions span numerous families of plants and animals including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and arthropods; a sizeable fraction of these extinctions are occurring in the...
      
      , 1892 or 1937)
    • Ciridops tenax Olson
      Storrs L. Olson
      Storrs Lovejoy Olson is an American biologist and ornithologist from the Smithsonian Institution. He is one of the world's foremost avian paleontologists....
      
       & James, 1991 Stout-legged Finch
      Stout-legged Finch
      The Stout-legged Finch is an extinct species of finch in the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanidinae. Subfossil remains have only been found on the island of Kauai and indicate that it survived up until the late Quaternary period....
      
       (prehistoric
      Late Quaternary prehistoric birds
      Prehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...
      
      )
  • Genus Drepanis
    Mamo
    A mamo or hoohoo is a bird of the genus Drepanis. These nectarivorous finches were endemic to Hawaii but are now extinct.The Hawaiian name may be related to the name of the ōō , a bird with a similar appearance...
    
     Temminck
    Coenraad Jacob Temminck
    Coenraad Jacob Temminck was a Dutch aristocrat and zoologist.Temminck was the first director of the National Natural History Museum at Leiden from 1820 until his death. His Manuel d'ornithologie, ou Tableau systematique des oiseaux qui se trouvent en Europe was the standard work on European birds...
    
    , 1820 - downcurved bills, nectarivores
    • Drepanis funerea Newton
      Alfred Newton
      Alfred Newton FRS was an English zoologist and ornithologist.Newton was Professor of Comparative Anatomy at Cambridge University from 1866 to 1907...
      
      , 1894 - Black Mamo
      Black Mamo
      The Black Mamo is an extinct bird species once endemic to the island of Molokai, although there is fossil evidence of it having lived on Maui....
      
       (extinct
      Holocene extinction event
      The Holocene extinction refers to the extinction of species during the present Holocene epoch . The large number of extinctions span numerous families of plants and animals including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and arthropods; a sizeable fraction of these extinctions are occurring in the...
      
      , 1907)
    • Drepanis pacifica Gmelin
      Johann Friedrich Gmelin
      Johann Friedrich Gmelin was a German naturalist, botanist, entomologist, herpetologist and malacologist.- Education :Johann Friedrich Gmelin was born as the eldest son of Philipp Friedrich Gmelin in 1748 in Tübingen...
      
      , 1788 - Hawaii Mamo  (extinct
      Holocene extinction event
      The Holocene extinction refers to the extinction of species during the present Holocene epoch . The large number of extinctions span numerous families of plants and animals including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and arthropods; a sizeable fraction of these extinctions are occurring in the...
      
      , 1898)
  • Genus Himatione - thin-billed nectarivore
    • Himatione sanguinea Gmelin
      Johann Friedrich Gmelin
      Johann Friedrich Gmelin was a German naturalist, botanist, entomologist, herpetologist and malacologist.- Education :Johann Friedrich Gmelin was born as the eldest son of Philipp Friedrich Gmelin in 1748 in Tübingen...
      
      , 1788 - [[ʻApapane|Apapane]]
      • Himatione sanguinea freethi - Laysan Apapane (extinct
        Holocene extinction event
        The Holocene extinction refers to the extinction of species during the present Holocene epoch . The large number of extinctions span numerous families of plants and animals including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and arthropods; a sizeable fraction of these extinctions are occurring in the...
        
        , 1923)
  • Genus Melamprosops Casey & Jacobi, 1974 - short pointed bill, browser
    Browsing (predation)
    Browsing is a type of herbivory in which an herbivore feeds on leaves, soft shoots, or fruits of high growing, generally woody, plants such as shrubs. This is contrasted with grazing, usually associated with animals feeding on grass or other low vegetation...
    
     and snail
    Snail
    Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
    
     specialist
    • Melamprosops phaeosoma Casey & Jacobi, 1974 - Poouli (possibly extinct, November 28, 2004?)
  • Genus Palmeria Rothschild
    Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild
    Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild FRS , a scion of the Rothschild family, was a British banker, politician, and zoologist.-Biography:...
    
    , 1893 - thin-billed nectarivore, favors Metrosideros polymorpha
    Metrosideros polymorpha
    The ōhia lehua is a species of flowering evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that is endemic to the six largest islands of Hawaii. It is a highly variable tree, being tall in favorable situations, and much smaller when growing in boggy soils or on basalt...
    
    
    • Palmeria dolei Wilson
      Scott Barchard Wilson
      Scott Barchard Wilson was a British ornithologist and explorer.In 1887, Wilson was sent by his professor Alfred Newton to study and collect birds in Hawaii. On his return he wrote Aves Hawaiienses with Arthur Humble Evans, illustrated by Frederick William Frohawk.-References:* Fuller, Errol :...
      
      , 1891 - [[ʻAkohekohe|Ākohekohe]] (thought to be extinct, rediscovered in 1945)
  • Genus Vestiaria Jarocki, 1821 - downcurved-bill nectarivore
    • Vestiaria coccinea Forster
      Johann Reinhold Forster
      Johann Reinhold Forster was a German Lutheran pastor and naturalist of partial Scottish descent who made contributions to the early ornithology of Europe and North America...
      
      , 1780 - [[ʻIʻiwi|Iiwi]]
• Tribe Hemignathini
  Hemignathini
  Hemignathini is a tribe of bird in the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanidinae. Of the three tribes in Drepanidinae, Hemignathini is the largest. It contains the Creepers, the extinct Akialoas, Amakihi, and extinct Nukupu'us. This group is made up of long-billed insectivores, but several of...
  
  
  • Genus Aidemedia Olson
    Storrs L. Olson
    Storrs Lovejoy Olson is an American biologist and ornithologist from the Smithsonian Institution. He is one of the world's foremost avian paleontologists....
    
     & James, 1991 - straight thin bills, insectivores
    • Aidemedia chascax Olson
      Storrs L. Olson
      Storrs Lovejoy Olson is an American biologist and ornithologist from the Smithsonian Institution. He is one of the world's foremost avian paleontologists....
      
       & James, 1991 - Oahu Icterid-like Gaper (prehistoric
      Late Quaternary prehistoric birds
      Prehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...
      
      )
    • Aidemedia lutetiae Olson
      Storrs L. Olson
      Storrs Lovejoy Olson is an American biologist and ornithologist from the Smithsonian Institution. He is one of the world's foremost avian paleontologists....
      
       & James, 1991 - Maui Nui Icterid-like Gaper (prehistoric
      Late Quaternary prehistoric birds
      Prehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...
      
      )
    • Aidemedia zanclops Olson
      Storrs L. Olson
      Storrs Lovejoy Olson is an American biologist and ornithologist from the Smithsonian Institution. He is one of the world's foremost avian paleontologists....
      
       & James, 1991 - Sickle-billed Gaper (prehistoric
      Late Quaternary prehistoric birds
      Prehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...
      
      )
  • Genus Hemignathus
    Hemignathus
    Hemignathus is a Hawaiian honeycreeper genus in the finch family, Fringillidae. These birds are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.Many of its species became extinct during the 19th and 20th centuries due to a combination of habitat destruction, introduced predators, and most importantly...
    
     Lichtenstein, 1839 - pointed or long and downcurved bills, insectivorous or nectarivorous
    • Hemignathus flavus Bloxam
      Andrew Bloxam
      Andrew Bloxam was an English clergyman and naturalist; in his later life he had a particular interest in botany. He was the naturalist on board during its voyage around South America and the Pacific in 1824–26, where he collected mainly birds...
      
      , 1827 - Oahu Amakihi
    • Hemignathus kauaiensis Pratt, 1989 - Kauai Amakihi
    • Hemignathus lucidus Lichtenstein, 1839 - Nukupuu
      • Hemignathus lucidus affinis - Maui Nukupuu (extinct
        Holocene extinction event
        The Holocene extinction refers to the extinction of species during the present Holocene epoch . The large number of extinctions span numerous families of plants and animals including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and arthropods; a sizeable fraction of these extinctions are occurring in the...
        
        , 1995–1998)
      • Hemignathus lucidus hanapepe - Kauai Nukupuu (extinct
        Holocene extinction event
        The Holocene extinction refers to the extinction of species during the present Holocene epoch . The large number of extinctions span numerous families of plants and animals including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and arthropods; a sizeable fraction of these extinctions are occurring in the...
        
        , 1998)
      • Hemignathus lucidus lucides - Oahu Nukupuu (extinct
        Holocene extinction event
        The Holocene extinction refers to the extinction of species during the present Holocene epoch . The large number of extinctions span numerous families of plants and animals including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and arthropods; a sizeable fraction of these extinctions are occurring in the...
        
        , 1837)
    • Hemignathus sagittirostris Rothschild
      Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild
      Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild FRS , a scion of the Rothschild family, was a British banker, politician, and zoologist.-Biography:...
      
      , 1892 - Greater Amakihi (extinct
      Holocene extinction event
      The Holocene extinction refers to the extinction of species during the present Holocene epoch . The large number of extinctions span numerous families of plants and animals including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and arthropods; a sizeable fraction of these extinctions are occurring in the...
      
      , 1901)
    • Hemignathus virens Cabanis
      Jean Cabanis
      Jean Louis Cabanis was a German ornithologist.Cabanis was born in Berlin. He studied at the University of Berlin from 1835 to 1839, and then travelled to North America, returning in 1841 with a large natural history collection. He was assistant and later director of the Berlin University Museum,...
      
      , 1851 - Common Amakihi
    • Hemignathus vorpalis James & Olson
      Storrs L. Olson
      Storrs Lovejoy Olson is an American biologist and ornithologist from the Smithsonian Institution. He is one of the world's foremost avian paleontologists....
      
      , 2003 - Giant Amakihi (prehistoric
      Late Quaternary prehistoric birds
      Prehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...
      
      )
  • (Sub)Genus Akialoa
    • Hemignathus ellisianus or Akialoa ellisiana Gray
      George Robert Gray
      George Robert Gray FRS was an English zoologist and author, and head of the ornithological section of the British Museum, now the Natural History Museum, in London for forty-one years...
      
      , 1859 - Oahu Akialoa (extinct
      Holocene extinction event
      The Holocene extinction refers to the extinction of species during the present Holocene epoch . The large number of extinctions span numerous families of plants and animals including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and arthropods; a sizeable fraction of these extinctions are occurring in the...
      
      , 1940)
    • Hemignathus lanaiensis or Akialoa lanaiensis Rothschild
      Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild
      Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild FRS , a scion of the Rothschild family, was a British banker, politician, and zoologist.-Biography:...
      
      , 1893 - Maui Nui Akialoa (extinct
      Holocene extinction event
      The Holocene extinction refers to the extinction of species during the present Holocene epoch . The large number of extinctions span numerous families of plants and animals including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and arthropods; a sizeable fraction of these extinctions are occurring in the...
      
      , 1892)
    • Hemignathus obscurus or Akialoa obscura Cabanis
      Jean Cabanis
      Jean Louis Cabanis was a German ornithologist.Cabanis was born in Berlin. He studied at the University of Berlin from 1835 to 1839, and then travelled to North America, returning in 1841 with a large natural history collection. He was assistant and later director of the Berlin University Museum,...
      
      , 1889 - Hawaii Akialoa (extinct
      Holocene extinction event
      The Holocene extinction refers to the extinction of species during the present Holocene epoch . The large number of extinctions span numerous families of plants and animals including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and arthropods; a sizeable fraction of these extinctions are occurring in the...
      
      , 1940)
    • Hemignathus stejnegeri or Akialoa stejnegeri Wilson
      Scott Barchard Wilson
      Scott Barchard Wilson was a British ornithologist and explorer.In 1887, Wilson was sent by his professor Alfred Newton to study and collect birds in Hawaii. On his return he wrote Aves Hawaiienses with Arthur Humble Evans, illustrated by Frederick William Frohawk.-References:* Fuller, Errol :...
      
      , 1889 - Kauai Akialoa (extinct
      Holocene extinction event
      The Holocene extinction refers to the extinction of species during the present Holocene epoch . The large number of extinctions span numerous families of plants and animals including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and arthropods; a sizeable fraction of these extinctions are occurring in the...
      
      , 1969)
    • Hemignathus upupirostris or Akialoa upupirostris - Hoopoe-billed Akialoa (prehistoric
      Late Quaternary prehistoric birds
      Prehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...
      
      )
  • (Sub)Genus Heterorhynchus
    • Hemignathus munroi or Heterorhynchus wilsoni Pratt, 1979 - [[ʻAkiapolaʻau|Akiapolaau]]
  • (Sub)Genus Magumma
    • Hemignathus parvus or Magumma parva Stejneger
      Leonhard Hess Stejneger
      Leonhard Hess Stejneger was a Norwegian-born American ornithologist, herpetologist and zoologist. Stejneger specialized in vertebrate natural history studies. He gained his greatest reputation with reptiles and amphibians....
      
      , 1887- [[ʻAnianiau|Anianiau]]
  • Genus Loxops
    Loxops
    Loxops is a Hawaiian honeycreeper genus in the finch family, Fringillidae.It contains the following species:* [[ʻAkekeʻe]] * [[ʻAkepa]]...
    
     - small pointed bills with the tips offset a little horizontally, insectivores
    • Loxops caeruleirostris Wilson
      Scott Barchard Wilson
      Scott Barchard Wilson was a British ornithologist and explorer.In 1887, Wilson was sent by his professor Alfred Newton to study and collect birds in Hawaii. On his return he wrote Aves Hawaiienses with Arthur Humble Evans, illustrated by Frederick William Frohawk.-References:* Fuller, Errol :...
      
      , 1890 - Akekee
      ‘Akeke‘e
      The Akekee is a bird species in the family Fringillidae, where it is placed in the Hawaiian honeycreeper genus Loxops. It is endemic to the island of Kauai where it is found in small numbers in higher elevations...
      
      
    • Loxops coccineus Gmelin
      Johann Friedrich Gmelin
      Johann Friedrich Gmelin was a German naturalist, botanist, entomologist, herpetologist and malacologist.- Education :Johann Friedrich Gmelin was born as the eldest son of Philipp Friedrich Gmelin in 1748 in Tübingen...
      
      , 1789 - [[ʻAkepa|Ākepa]]
      • Loxops coccineus coccineus - Hawaii Ākepa
      • Loxops coccineus ochraceus - Maui Ākepa (extinct
        Holocene extinction event
        The Holocene extinction refers to the extinction of species during the present Holocene epoch . The large number of extinctions span numerous families of plants and animals including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and arthropods; a sizeable fraction of these extinctions are occurring in the...
        
        , 1988)
      • Loxops coccineus wolstenholmei - Oahu Ākepa (extinct
        Holocene extinction event
        The Holocene extinction refers to the extinction of species during the present Holocene epoch . The large number of extinctions span numerous families of plants and animals including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and arthropods; a sizeable fraction of these extinctions are occurring in the...
        
        , 1990s)
  • Genus Oreomystis
    Oreomystis
    Oreomystis is a genus of finch in the Fringillidae family.It contains the following species:* 'Akikiki * Hawai'i Creeper...
    
     Wilson, 1891 - short pointed bills, browsers
    • Oreomystis bairdi Stejneger
      Leonhard Hess Stejneger
      Leonhard Hess Stejneger was a Norwegian-born American ornithologist, herpetologist and zoologist. Stejneger specialized in vertebrate natural history studies. He gained his greatest reputation with reptiles and amphibians....
      
      , 1887 - [[ʻAkikiki|Akikiki]]
    • Oreomystis mana Wilson, 1891 - Hawaii Creeper
  • Genus Paroreomyza
    Paroreomyza
    Paroreomyza is a genus of finch in the Fringillidae family.It contains the following species:* Kakawahie -extinct 1963* O'ahu 'Alauahio * Maui 'Alauahio...
    
     - similar to Oreomystis
    • Paroreomyza montana Wilson
      Scott Barchard Wilson
      Scott Barchard Wilson was a British ornithologist and explorer.In 1887, Wilson was sent by his professor Alfred Newton to study and collect birds in Hawaii. On his return he wrote Aves Hawaiienses with Arthur Humble Evans, illustrated by Frederick William Frohawk.-References:* Fuller, Errol :...
      
      , 1890 - Maui Nui Alauahio
      • Paroreomyza montana montana - Lānai Alauahio (extinct
        Holocene extinction event
        The Holocene extinction refers to the extinction of species during the present Holocene epoch . The large number of extinctions span numerous families of plants and animals including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and arthropods; a sizeable fraction of these extinctions are occurring in the...
        
        , 1937)
    • Paroreomyza flammea Wilson
      Scott Barchard Wilson
      Scott Barchard Wilson was a British ornithologist and explorer.In 1887, Wilson was sent by his professor Alfred Newton to study and collect birds in Hawaii. On his return he wrote Aves Hawaiienses with Arthur Humble Evans, illustrated by Frederick William Frohawk.-References:* Fuller, Errol :...
      
      , 1889 - Molokai Creeper
      Molokai Creeper
      Paroreomyza flammea, commonly known as the Kākāwahie or Molokai Creeper, was a species of finch in the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanidinae. It is extinct, but formerly occurred on the Hawaiian island of Molokai in Hawaii. It was long with clawed toes. This bird had the appearance of a...
      
       or Kākāwahie (extinct
      Holocene extinction event
      The Holocene extinction refers to the extinction of species during the present Holocene epoch . The large number of extinctions span numerous families of plants and animals including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and arthropods; a sizeable fraction of these extinctions are occurring in the...
      
      , 1963)
    • Paroreomyza maculata Cabanis, 1850 - Oahu Alauahio (possibly extinct
      Holocene extinction event
      The Holocene extinction refers to the extinction of species during the present Holocene epoch . The large number of extinctions span numerous families of plants and animals including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and arthropods; a sizeable fraction of these extinctions are occurring in the...
      
      , early 1990s?)
  • Genus Vangulifer - flat rounded bills, possibly caught flying insects
    • Vangulifer mirandus - Strange-billed Finch (prehistoric
      Late Quaternary prehistoric birds
      Prehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...
      
      )
    • Vangulifer neophasis - Thin-billed Finch (prehistoric
      Late Quaternary prehistoric birds
      Prehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...
      
      )
• Tribe Psittirostrini
  Psittirostrini
  Psittirostrini is one of three tribes belonging to the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanidinae. It is made up of the thick-billed birds, colloquially known as the Hawaiian finches, that once inhabited all of the Hawaiian Islands. These birds are granivorous and have songs like those of...
  
  
  • Genus Chloridops
    Chloridops
    Chloridops is an extinct genus of birds. It comprised three species: two on the Big Island of Hawaii and one that inhabited Kauai, Oahu and Maui. The genus includes the following three species:*Kona Grosbeak - extinct...
    
     Wilson
    Scott Barchard Wilson
    Scott Barchard Wilson was a British ornithologist and explorer.In 1887, Wilson was sent by his professor Alfred Newton to study and collect birds in Hawaii. On his return he wrote Aves Hawaiienses with Arthur Humble Evans, illustrated by Frederick William Frohawk.-References:* Fuller, Errol :...
    
    , 1888 - thick-billed, Myoporum sandwicense
    Myoporum sandwicense
    Myoporum sandwicense is a species of flowering tree in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae. Common names include Naio, bastard sandalwood or false sandalwood. It is native to Hawaii and Mangaia in the Cook Islands.-Description:...
    
     and other hard seed specialist
    • Chloridops kona Wilson
      Scott Barchard Wilson
      Scott Barchard Wilson was a British ornithologist and explorer.In 1887, Wilson was sent by his professor Alfred Newton to study and collect birds in Hawaii. On his return he wrote Aves Hawaiienses with Arthur Humble Evans, illustrated by Frederick William Frohawk.-References:* Fuller, Errol :...
      
      , 1888 - Kona Grosbeak
      Kona Grosbeak
      The Kona Grosbeak is an extinct species of finch in the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanidinae. The Kona Grosbeak was endemic to naio forests on ʻaʻā lava flows at elevations of near the Kona District on the island of Hawaii...
      
       (extinct
      Holocene extinction event
      The Holocene extinction refers to the extinction of species during the present Holocene epoch . The large number of extinctions span numerous families of plants and animals including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and arthropods; a sizeable fraction of these extinctions are occurring in the...
      
      , 1894)
    • Chloridops regiskongi - Giant ("King Kong") Grosbeak
      Giant Grosbeak
      The King Kong Grosbeak is a prehistoric species of finch in the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanididae, that was endemic to Hawaii. It had the largest beak of the three Chloridops species known to have existed. The King Kong Grosbeak was described from fossils found at Barber's Point and...
      
       (prehistoric
      Late Quaternary prehistoric birds
      Prehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...
      
      )
    • Chloridops wahi - Wahi Grosbeak (prehistoric
      Late Quaternary prehistoric birds
      Prehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...
      
      )
  • Genus Dysmorodrepanis Perkins
    Robert Cyril Layton Perkins
    Robert Cyril Layton Perkins FRS was a distinguished British entomologist, ornithologist, and naturalist noted for his work on the fauna of the islands of Hawaii and on Hymenoptera...
    
    , 1919 - pincer-like bill, possibly snail specialist
    • Dysmorodrepanis munroi Perkins
      Robert Cyril Layton Perkins
      Robert Cyril Layton Perkins FRS was a distinguished British entomologist, ornithologist, and naturalist noted for his work on the fauna of the islands of Hawaii and on Hymenoptera...
      
      , 1919 - Lānai Hookbill (extinct
      Holocene extinction event
      The Holocene extinction refers to the extinction of species during the present Holocene epoch . The large number of extinctions span numerous families of plants and animals including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and arthropods; a sizeable fraction of these extinctions are occurring in the...
      
      , 1918)
  • Genus Loxioides
    Loxioides
    Loxioides is a genus of finches in the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanidinae. It contains the following species:* Loxioides bailleui Oustalet, 1877 - Palila...
    
     Oustalet
    Émile Oustalet
    Jean-Frédéric Émile Oustalet was a French zoologist.Oustalet was born at Montbéliard, in the department of Doubs. He studied at the Ecole des Hautes-Etudes and his first scientific work was on the respiratory organs of dragonfly larvae...
    
    , 1877 - finch-like, Fabales
    Fabales
    Fabales is an order of flowering plants. It is included in the rosid group of the eudicots in the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group II classification system...
    
     seed specialists
    • Loxioides bailleui Oustalet
      Émile Oustalet
      Jean-Frédéric Émile Oustalet was a French zoologist.Oustalet was born at Montbéliard, in the department of Doubs. He studied at the Ecole des Hautes-Etudes and his first scientific work was on the respiratory organs of dragonfly larvae...
      
      , 1877 - Palila
      Palila
      The Palila is a critically endangered finch-billed species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. It has a golden-yellow head and breast, with a light belly, gray back, and greenish wings and tail...
      
      
    • Loxioides kikuichi Olson & James, 2006 - Kauai Palila
      Kaua'i Palila
      The Kauai Palila was a species of Hawaiian finch that was much larger than the Palila . It was probably covered in feathers of red, gold, white, and black...
      
       (prehistoric
      Late Quaternary prehistoric birds
      Prehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...
      
      , possibly survived to the early 18th century)
  • Genus Orthiospiza - large weak bill, possibly soft seed or fruit specialist?
    • Orthiospiza howarthi James & Olson
      Storrs L. Olson
      Storrs Lovejoy Olson is an American biologist and ornithologist from the Smithsonian Institution. He is one of the world's foremost avian paleontologists....
      
      , 1991- Highland Finch
      Highland Finch
      The Highland Finch is an extinct member of the Fringillidae. It has traditionally been considered a member of the sub-family Drepanidinae, but this has been questioned recently with some preferring Incertae sedis instead. It is the only member of the genus Orthiospiza. It was endemic to the...
      
       (prehistoric
      Late Quaternary prehistoric birds
      Prehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...
      
      )
  • Genus Pseudonestor - parrot
    Parrot
    Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...
    
    -like bill, probes decomposing
    Decomposition
    Decomposition is the process by which organic material is broken down into simpler forms of matter. The process is essential for recycling the finite matter that occupies physical space in the biome. Bodies of living organisms begin to decompose shortly after death...
    
     wood for insect larvae
    • Pseudonestor xanthophrys Rothschild
      Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild
      Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild FRS , a scion of the Rothschild family, was a British banker, politician, and zoologist.-Biography:...
      
      , 1893 - Maui Parrotbill
      Maui Parrotbill
      The Maui Parrotbill or kiwikiu is a species of finch in the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanidinae, that is endemic to Maui in Hawaii. It can only be found in of mesic and wet forests at on the windward slopes of Haleakalā. This species is critically endangered, with an estimated...
      
       (thought to be extinct, rediscovered in 1945)
  • Genus Psittirostra - slightly hooked bill, Freycinetia arborea
    Freycinetia arborea
    The Ieie is a densely branched, brittle, woody climber in the screwpalm family, Pandanaceae that is endemic to the Pacific Islands. Ieie is found in moist forest on the Hawaiian, Marquesas, Austral, Society, and Cook Islands. It grows into the forest canopy, attaching itself to a host tree using...
    
     fruit specialist
    • Psittirostra psittacea Gmelin
      Johann Friedrich Gmelin
      Johann Friedrich Gmelin was a German naturalist, botanist, entomologist, herpetologist and malacologist.- Education :Johann Friedrich Gmelin was born as the eldest son of Philipp Friedrich Gmelin in 1748 in Tübingen...
      
      , 1789 - [[ʻŌʻū|Ōū]] (probably extinct
      Holocene extinction event
      The Holocene extinction refers to the extinction of species during the present Holocene epoch . The large number of extinctions span numerous families of plants and animals including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and arthropods; a sizeable fraction of these extinctions are occurring in the...
      
      , 1998?)
  • Genus Rhodacanthis
    Rhodacanthis
    Rhodacanthis is an extinct genus of finches in the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanidinae. All four species were endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Members of this genus were granivores, with bills adapted to the seeds and pods of legumes. The two species that became extinct in the 1890s,...
    
     - large-billed legume specialists
    • Rhodacanthis flaviceps Rothschild, 1892 - Lesser Koa-finch (extinct
      Holocene extinction event
      The Holocene extinction refers to the extinction of species during the present Holocene epoch . The large number of extinctions span numerous families of plants and animals including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and arthropods; a sizeable fraction of these extinctions are occurring in the...
      
      , 1891)
    • Rhodacanthis forfex James & Olson
      Storrs L. Olson
      Storrs Lovejoy Olson is an American biologist and ornithologist from the Smithsonian Institution. He is one of the world's foremost avian paleontologists....
      
      , 2005 - Scissor-billed Koa-finch
      Scissor-billed Koa-finch
      The Scissor-billed Koa-finch, or Scissor Finch is an extinct species of finch in the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanididae. 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...
      
       (prehistoric
      Late Quaternary prehistoric birds
      Prehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...
      
      )
    • Rhodacanthis litotes James & Olson
      Storrs L. Olson
      Storrs Lovejoy Olson is an American biologist and ornithologist from the Smithsonian Institution. He is one of the world's foremost avian paleontologists....
      
      , 2005 - Primitive Koa-finch
      Primitive Koa-finch
      The Primitive Koa-finch is a species of finch in the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanididae. It was endemic to Hawaii. Of the four species in the genus Telespiza, it and the Scissor-billed Koa-finch became extinct before the arrival of the first Europeans to Hawaii in 1778...
      
       (prehistoric
      Late Quaternary prehistoric birds
      Prehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...
      
      )
    • Rhodacanthis palmeri Rothschild, 1892 - Greater Koa-finch (extinct
      Holocene extinction event
      The Holocene extinction refers to the extinction of species during the present Holocene epoch . The large number of extinctions span numerous families of plants and animals including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and arthropods; a sizeable fraction of these extinctions are occurring in the...
      
      , 1896)
  • Genus Telespiza
    Telespiza
    Telespiza is a genus of finches in the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanididae. All species in it are or were endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.-Species:* Telespiza cantans Wilson, 1890 - Laysan Finch...
    
     Wilson
    Scott Barchard Wilson
    Scott Barchard Wilson was a British ornithologist and explorer.In 1887, Wilson was sent by his professor Alfred Newton to study and collect birds in Hawaii. On his return he wrote Aves Hawaiienses with Arthur Humble Evans, illustrated by Frederick William Frohawk.-References:* Fuller, Errol :...
    
    , 1890 - finch-like, granivores, opportunistic scavenger
    Scavenger
    Scavenging is both a carnivorous and herbivorous feeding behavior in which individual scavengers search out dead animal and dead plant biomass on which to feed. The eating of carrion from the same species is referred to as cannibalism. Scavengers play an important role in the ecosystem by...
    
    s
    • Telespiza cantans Wilson
      Scott Barchard Wilson
      Scott Barchard Wilson was a British ornithologist and explorer.In 1887, Wilson was sent by his professor Alfred Newton to study and collect birds in Hawaii. On his return he wrote Aves Hawaiienses with Arthur Humble Evans, illustrated by Frederick William Frohawk.-References:* Fuller, Errol :...
      
      , 1890 - Laysan Finch
      Laysan Finch
      The Laysan Finch is a species of finch in the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanidinae, that is endemic to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It is one of four remaining finch-billed Hawaiian honeycreepers, and is closely related to the smaller Nihoa Finch. The Laysan Finch is named for...
      
      
    • Telespiza persecutrix James & Olson
      Storrs L. Olson
      Storrs Lovejoy Olson is an American biologist and ornithologist from the Smithsonian Institution. He is one of the world's foremost avian paleontologists....
      
      , 1991 - Kauai Finch (prehistoric
      Late Quaternary prehistoric birds
      Prehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...
      
      )
    • Telespiza ultima Bryan, 1917 - Nihoa Finch
      Nihoa Finch
      The Nihoa Finch is one of the two endemic bird species of the tiny Hawaiian island Nihoa, the other being the Nihoa Millerbird. When it was classified in 1917, scientists thought that it would be the last endemic species named. This was later found untrue. The island's population is 1000-3000 birds...
      
      
    • Telespiza ypsilon James & Olson
      Storrs L. Olson
      Storrs Lovejoy Olson is an American biologist and ornithologist from the Smithsonian Institution. He is one of the world's foremost avian paleontologists....
      
      , 1991 - Maui Nui Finch
      Maui Nui Finch
      The Maui Nui Finch is an extinct member of the genus Telespiza in the family Fringillidae. It was endemic to the Hawaiian islands of Molokai and Maui. It is only known from fossil remains and likely became extinct before the first Europeans visited Hawaii in 1778.-Extinction:Due to its early...
      
       (prehistoric
      Late Quaternary prehistoric birds
      Prehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...
      
      )
  • Genus Xestospiza
    Xestospiza
    Xestospiza is a genus containing two species of birds with cone-shaped bills that were described on the basis of fossils. They were possibly insectivores. It consists of the following:* Cone-billed Finch - prehistoric...
    
     James & Oslon
    Storrs L. Olson
    Storrs Lovejoy Olson is an American biologist and ornithologist from the Smithsonian Institution. He is one of the world's foremost avian paleontologists....
    
    , 1991 - cone-shaped bills, possibly insectivores
    • Xestospiza conica James & Olson, 1991 - Cone-billed Finch (prehistoric
      Late Quaternary prehistoric birds
      Prehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...
      
      )
    • Xestospiza fastigialis James & Olson, 1991 - Ridge-billed Finch (prehistoric
      Late Quaternary prehistoric birds
      Prehistoric birds are various taxa of birds that became extinct before recorded history, or more precisely, before they could be studied alive by bird scientists...
      
      )

Other references

• Groth, J. G. 1998. Molecular phylogeny of the cardueline finches and Hawaiian honeycreepers. Ostrich, 69: 401.

External links

• Hawaiian Honeycreepers (Drepanididae) information, including 4 species with videos and 11 with photographs at the Internet Bird Collection