Maui Nui ʻakialoa
Appearance
Maui Nui ʻakialoa | |
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Illustration by John Gerrard Keulemans | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Fringillidae |
Subfamily: | Carduelinae |
Genus: | †Akialoa |
Species: | †A. lanaiensis
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Binomial name | |
†Akialoa lanaiensis Rothschild, 1893
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Synonyms | |
Hemignathus ellisiana lanaiensis |
The Maui Nui ʻakialoa or Lānaʻi ʻakialoa (Akialoa lanaiensis) is an extinct species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. It inhabited the islands of Maui, Lānaʻi, and Molokaʻi in Hawaii.[1]
Description and habitat
The Maui Nui ʻakialoa was a grayish-yellow bird. It was six inches long, with a bill that was an inch and a half in length. It used its long bill to probe bark in search of insects and probe flowers in search of nectar.[1]
It is known from three specimens collected on the island of Lānaʻi in 1892. It is also known from fossils on Molokaʻi and Maui. It lived in forests above 200 m of elevation.[1]
Extinction
The Maui Nui ʻakialoa was driven to extinction by habitat destruction and disease. Invasive species may also have been a factor.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e BirdLife International (2017). "Akialoa lanaiensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T103823431A119549974. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T103823431A119549974.en. Retrieved 16 November 2021.