Extinct genus of birds
"Rhodacanthis", commonly known as the koa finches, is an extinct genus of Hawaiian honeycreeper in the subfamily Carduelinae of the family Fringillidae. All four species were endemic to Hawaii.
Habitat and diet.
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, "R. flaviceps" and "R. palmeri", inhabited upper elevation mesic forests dominated by koa "(Acacia koa") on the island of Hawaiʻi. Both were large birds; "R. flaviceps" measured , while "R. palmeri" was in length. The combination of a giant bill with brightly colored plumage (yellow for "R. flaviceps", orange for "R. palmeri") gave the males a very striking appearance. Koa seeds were the preferred food for the two species, but caterpillars were taken if necessary. The two prehistoric species, "R. forfex" and "R. litotes", were denizens of more lowland tropical dry forests and shrublands on Kauaʻi, Maui, and Oʻahu. It is speculated that koaiʻa ("Acacia koaia") was an important food source for both species, as their range did not overlap with that of koa. Kanaloa ("Kanaloa" spp.) pods and ʻaʻaliʻi ("Dodonaea viscosa") berries were probably also eaten in addition to the occasional caterpillar.
References.
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