Stout-legged Finch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Stout-legged Finch | ||||||||||||||
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Extinct (prehistoric)
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| Ciridops tenex |
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Molokai Ula-ai-Hawane |
The Stout-legged Finch or the Molokai Ula-ai-Hawane was a species of Hawaiian Honeycreepers that was found on Molokai. It was discovered in several different places which mostly include old lava tubes, which are excellent places for fossils to be preserved. It was similar to its Hawaiian relative excet that its bill was longer and its head sppeared more rubust. Due to these traits, it is classified as a single species, instead of being a subspecies to the Ula-ai-Hawane or Ciridops anna. It lived for many years and it seems that there were other species that were related to this one including those living on the other islands of Maui-nui, Oahu and Kauai. It lived very well in its environment till the start of man arriving on the island. They cut down forests which may have included Loilu palms which were the major food source of the living Ula-ai-Hawane. With its only food killed off the bird would soon follow and within years the bird was extinct. We do not know much about this bird like what was its coloring or what was its song or how did it react with the environment. All we have is the bones of the species and inmferences of what it was like when it was alive.
