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''Rhodacanthis'' is an extinct genus of Hawaiian honeycreeper. All four species were endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Members of this genus were granivores, with bills adapted to the seeds and pods of legumes. The two species that became extinct in the 1890s, ''R. flaviceps'' and ''R. palmeri'', inhabited upper elevation mesic forests dominated by koa ''(Acacia koa'') on the island of Hawaii. Both were large birds; ''R. flaviceps'' measured , while ''R. palmeri'' was in length. The combination of a giant bill with brightly colored plumage (yellow for ''R. flaviceps'', orange for ''R. palmeri'') gave the males a very striking appearance. Koa seeds were the preferred food for the two species, but caterpillars were taken if necessary. The two prehistoric species, ''R. forfex'' and ''R. litotes'', were denizens of more lowland tropical dry forests and shrublands on Kauai, Maui, and Oahu. It is speculated that koaia (''Acacia koaia'') was an important food source for both species, as their range did not overlap with that of koa. Kanaloa (''Kanaloa'' spp.) pods and aalii (''Dodonaea viscosa'') berries were probably also eaten in addition to the occasional caterpillar.〔 ==Species== *''Rhodacanthis flaviceps'' Rothschild, 1892 – lesser koa finch (extinct, 1891) *''Rhodacanthis forfex'' James & Olson, 2005 – scissor-billed koa finch (prehistoric) *''Rhodacanthis litotes'' James & Olson, 2005 – primitive koa finch (prehistoric) *''Rhodacanthis palmeri'' Rothschild, 1892 – greater koa finch (extinct, 1896) 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Rhodacanthis」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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