Scissor-billed Koa-finch

Taxobox
name = Scissor-billed Koa Finch
status = EX
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Passeriformes
familia = Drepanididae
genus = "Rhodacanthis"
species = "R. forfex"
binomial = "Rhodacanthis forfex"
binomial_authority = James & Olson, 2005

The Scissor-billed Koa Finch, ("Rhodacanthis forfex") or Scissor Finch is a Hawaiian bird of the family 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 Hawaii in 1778. It was endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, probably due to activity of the volcano Mauna Kea on the Big Island.

Description & Behavior

The bird is about six inches longFact|date=November 2007. Its bill is unusual in the way the upper and lower mandible appear to act like a scissor. It would have been capable of slicing into flowers and lap up the nectar. Alternatively, it could have have used its bill to cut up bark and reach for insects hidden within. Fact|date=November 2007.

Threats and conservation

Due to its early extinction, very little is known about this species. It is only known from fossil remains. Other Hawaiian honeycreepers are known to have become extinct or very rare due to habitat loss, introduced predators and avian diseases. It is possible the extinction of the Scissor-billed Koa Finch also involved these factors.

References

BirdLife International (2004). Vestiaria coccinea. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is near threatened.