Palila

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iPalila

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Fringillidae
Genus:	Loxioides
Species:	L. bailleui

Binomial name

Loxioides bailleui
(Oustalet, 1877)

The Palila is an endangered finch-billed Hawaiian honeycreeper. It is in the true finch family, Fringillidae. It has a golden-yellow head and breast, with a gray or white belly. It feeds almost exclusively on the seeds of the endemic Hawaiian plant species Mamane. The palila is also an endangered species primaraily due to habitat destruction.

[edit] Identification

Palila Perched on Mamane

Palilas have a yellow heads and breasts, with white plumage ventrally and grey plumage dorsally. The wings and the tails are greenish. The finches also have heavy black bills. The palila is one of the measure from 6 in to 7 in.

There is some sexual dimorphism with the species, but males tend to have brighter colors. The adult males have black masks between their bills and eyes.

[edit] Distribution and Population

Currently, the palila can be found only on the upper slopes of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii. Palila live ranging from about 6,500 ft to 9,500 ft (2000 m to 2900 m) above sea level. The population density of the bird increases in areas where food supplies, mamane seed pods, are more available.

Palilas are found in less than 10 percent of their native range. Prehistorically, the palila even inhabited low elevation areas on O`ahu. The palila was abundant throughout Hawaii, until the beginning of the 20th century. It lived from on the upper slopes of Mauna Kea, the northwest slopes of Mauna Loa, and the eastern slopes of Hualālai. Then, as early as 1944, scientists believed the bird almost extinct. In 1975, it was estimated that only 1,614 palilas existed. From annual counts, between 1980 and 1996, variable estimates of population range from 1,584 to 5,683 palilas, though there are no consistent trends. As of 1997, west slope of Mauna Kea contains 72% of the population. The entire population, an estimated 4,396 birds, occupied an estimated 78 km².