The Oahu akialoa (''Akialoa ellisana'') was a

Hawaiian honeycreeper Hawaiian honeycreepers are a group of small, passerine birds endemic to Hawaii. They are closely related to the rosefinches in the genus ''Carpodacus'', but many species have evolved features unlike those present in any other finch. Their great ...

in the subfamily

Carduelinae The cardueline finches are a subfamily, Carduelinae, one of three subfamilies of the finch family Fringillidae, the others being the Fringillinae and the Euphoniinae. The Hawaiian honeycreepers are now included in this subfamily. Except for the ...

of the family

Fringillidae The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usua ...

(

finches The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usua ...

). It was formerly considered a subspecies in the greater akialoa complex before being elevated to a full species. It was endemic to the island of

Oahu Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O� ...

in the Hawaiian Islands.

Description

The bird was a long-billed insectivorous bird that was found in the high elevation forest. It was a dull colored species, dull green on the belly, bright green on rump and tail, dark olive-gray back and speckled yellow and green on the head. It was mainly an insectivore, using its bill to probe through the bark in search of arthropods, also using its long bill to probe flowers for nectar.

Status

Since the population was already taking a toll due to the large amount of deforestation, it was susceptible to the avian influenza, more commonly known as the bird flu. This was brought in by mosquitoes who were carrying the virus and were able to spread it within the community. Because of the virus, the population fell to around 4–6 percent of its normal population (Pratt). Scientists were sure that this bird was still common in the 1860s, according to evidence found by Perkins. Afterward, few reports came in, though two were presumed to be seen in 1933 and one in 1940.

References

2: H. D. and T. Pratt. “The interplay of species concepts, taxonomy, and conservation: lessons from the Hawaiian avifauna.” Studies in avian biology 22 (2001): 68–80.

External links

3D view
of specimens RMNH 110.021, RMNH 110.022 and RMNH 110.023 at Naturalis, Leiden (requires QuickTime browser plugin)

Oahu akialoa Extinct birds of Hawaii Endemic birds of Hawaii Bird extinctions since 1500 Oahu akialoa Species made extinct by human activities Taxa named by George Robert Gray Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Fringillidae-stub