Maui Nui 'Akialoa
Encyclopedia
The Maui Nui 'Akialoa or Lana'i 'Akialoa (Akialoa lanaiensis) is a species of finch
in the Fringillidae family. It was endemic to the island of Lanai
, Hawaii
in modern times, but seems to have occurred on all major islands of former Maui Nui
before human settlement. The Maui Nui Akialoa was one of the birds that made up the group Akialoa. This group included the long billed birds that were from five inches to nine inches in length. What makes up to a third of their length was their bill which ranged from an inch in length, to two and a half. This species was the second largest of the Akialoas and was the most widespread. It once inhabited the islands of Lanai, Kahoolawe and Molokai but had vanished before scientists could see them alive on these islands. It was a greyish-yellow bird that was found at mid altitude areas where it was seen pecking on bark in search or insects and seen pecking at flowers in search of nectar. The bird was six inches long, with a bill that was an inch and a half in length. It was a bird that was very fragile in nature and elusive. It was never found in high numbers and may have been on the verge of extinction on Maui just when the Europeans. The loss of the understory layer to pigs was a big hit to the last of the birds. If the land was cleared by pigs the land would have a forest floor layer made up of durable, pig resistant plant the Akialoa was not accompanied to. By the year of 1892, this Akialoa was gone, and would be the first of four species of Akialoa to disappear from the Earth.It became extinct due to habitat loss and introduced diseases.
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...
in the Fringillidae family. It was endemic to the island of Lanai
Lanai
Lānai or Lanai is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is also known as the Pineapple Island because of its past as an island-wide pineapple plantation. The only town is Lānai City, a small settlement....
, 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...
in modern times, but seems to have occurred on all major islands of former Maui Nui
Maui Nui
Maui Nui or Greater Maui, is a modern geologists' name given to a prehistoric Hawaiian Island built from seven shield volcanoes. Nui means "great/large" in the Hawaiian language....
before human settlement. The Maui Nui Akialoa was one of the birds that made up the group Akialoa. This group included the long billed birds that were from five inches to nine inches in length. What makes up to a third of their length was their bill which ranged from an inch in length, to two and a half. This species was the second largest of the Akialoas and was the most widespread. It once inhabited the islands of Lanai, Kahoolawe and Molokai but had vanished before scientists could see them alive on these islands. It was a greyish-yellow bird that was found at mid altitude areas where it was seen pecking on bark in search or insects and seen pecking at flowers in search of nectar. The bird was six inches long, with a bill that was an inch and a half in length. It was a bird that was very fragile in nature and elusive. It was never found in high numbers and may have been on the verge of extinction on Maui just when the Europeans. The loss of the understory layer to pigs was a big hit to the last of the birds. If the land was cleared by pigs the land would have a forest floor layer made up of durable, pig resistant plant the Akialoa was not accompanied to. By the year of 1892, this Akialoa was gone, and would be the first of four species of Akialoa to disappear from the Earth.It became extinct due to habitat loss and introduced diseases.