Maui Nui Finch
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| Maui Nui Finch | ||||||||||||||
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Extinct
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| Telespiza ypsilon James & Olson, 1991 |
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[edit] General Information
The Maui Nui Finch (Telespiza ypsilon) is an extinct member of the genus Telespiza in the family Fringillidae. It was endemic to the Hawaiian islands of Molokai and Maui. It is only known from fossil remains and likely became extinct before the first Europeans visited Hawaii in 1778.
[edit] Description
The Maui Nui Finch was about 4½ inch in length[citation needed] and had a very blunt bill that possibly could crack nuts and flowers (e.g., ‘ōhi‘a lehua blossoms) to digest the cellulose easily. It has also been speculated that insects perhaps formed part of its diet[citation needed]. The Maui Nui Finch was believed to have once survive in highland forest, but its fossils have been found frequently at the lower elevations of the island[citation needed].
[edit] Extinction
Due to its early extinction, very little is known about this species. It is only known from a few bones found in caves. It appears that this species began to go extinct when the first Polynesians settlers came to the islands. They cleared some of the land for farming and introduced species for which the native birds had no defence. According to fossil records, their numbers declined rapidly in the early 1100s[citation needed]. It has been speculated that this species' visits to lower elevations was its undoing due to contact with avian diseases and pests[citation needed]. Today, only about sixty percent of Hawaii has not been drastically altered[citation needed]. Many avian diseases and parasites also pose a major threat to Hawai'i's native forest birds.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Telespiza ypsilon . 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is extinct.
- James, Helen F., & Olson, Storrs L. (1991). Descriptions of thirty-two new species of birds from the Hawaiian Islands: Part II. Passeriformes. Ornithological Monographs 46. The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington D.C.
