''Hemignathus'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of Hawaiian honeycreepers in the subfamily Carduelinae of the family

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

. All species are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

Extinctions

Many of its

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

became

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

during the 19th and 20th centuries due to a combination of

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

, introduced predators, and most importantly

mosquito Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a Family (biology), family of small Diptera, flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by ''Musca (fly), mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish and Portuguese for ''little fly''. Mos ...

-borne diseases. The ʻakiapōlāʻau (''Hemignathus wilsoni'') may be the last surviving species in the genus. One species, the giant nukupu'u (''Hemignathus vorpalis''), is known only from fossils, and became extinct in prehistoric times when Polynesian settlers

deforested Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...

the lowlands for

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

Taxonomy

There are 5 species in this genus, 4 of which are extinct or possibly extinct: * Maui nukupuʻu, ''Hemignathus affinis'' - critically endangered or extinct, debated 1896 or 1990s *

Kauaʻi nukupuʻu The Kauai nukupuu (''Hemignathus hanapepe'') is an extinct species of nukupuʻu once found throughout parts of the Hawaiian island of Kauai. It was an insect eater that picked out its tiny prey from tree bark. The males were yellowish with brow ...

, ''Hemignathus hanapepe'' - critically endangered or extinct, debated 1899 or 1990s * Oʻahu nukupuʻu, ''Hemignathus lucidus'' - extinct, 1800s * Giant nukupuʻu, ''Hemignathus vorpalis'' - extinct,

Holocene The Holocene () is the current geologic time scale, geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene to ...

James, Helen F., & Olson, Storrs L. (2003). ''A giant new species of nukupuu (Fringillidae: Drepanidini: Hemignathus) from the island of Hawaii.'' The Auk. 120(4): 970–981. *

ʻAkiapolaʻau The akiapōlāau (''Hemignathus wilsoni''), pronounced ''ah-kee-ah-POH-LAH-OW'', is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper that is endemic to the island of Hawaii. Its natural habitats are dry and montane moist forests, and the only bird species ...

, ''Hemignathus wilsoni''

References

Hawaiian honeycreepers Endemic fauna of Hawaii Bird genera Carduelinae Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{fringillidae-stub