The hoopoe-billed ʻakialoa (Akialoa upupirostris) is an extinct species of Hawaiian honeycreeper in the subfamily Carduelinae of the family Fringillidae. It inhabited the islands of Kauaʻi and Oʻahu in Hawaii.
Hoopoe-billed ʻakialoa Temporal range: Early Holocene
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Fringillidae |
Subfamily: | Carduelinae |
Genus: | †Akialoa |
Species: | †A. upupirostris
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Binomial name | |
†Akialoa upupirostris | |
Synonyms | |
Hemignathus upupirostris |
Description
editSubfossil remains have been found on the Hawaiian islands of Kauaʻi and Oʻahu. The species was apparently slightly larger than others in the genus Akialoa. A similar but smaller bird from Maui has been discovered but is as yet undescribed.[2]
The specific name, upupirostris, is derived from the Latin upupa, hoopoe, and rostrum, bill, and refers to the long sickle-shaped bill which resembles that of the hoopoe.[2]
Extinction
editThe species presumably became extinct after the arrival of humans in Hawaii and is known only from the fossil record.[2]
References
edit- ^ 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 (46). American Ornithologists' Union: 39–43. doi:10.2307/40166713. JSTOR 40166713.
- ^ a b c Pratt, H. Douglas (2005). The Hawaiian honeycreepers: Drepanidinae. Bird Families of the World. p. 249. ISBN 978-0-19-854653-5.