Greater koa finch below. It had a thick black bill which allowed it to break open seed pods that were found in the trees. In historical times, its range was largely confined to the Kona District of the island of Hawaii, although it was observed in the Kīlauea area in 1895. It was much more widespread prior to the arrival of humans in Hawaii, and related species lived on other islands. In Kona, it co-occurred with the closely related lesser koa finch ("Rhodocanthis flaviceps"), and the Kona grosbeak. The lesser and greater koa finches were once thought by scientists to be the minimum
Wahiawa Botanical Garden The property was transferred to Honolulu in 1950, and opened as a botanical garden in 1957. It is open seven days a week, from 9am to 4 pm. The Garden's collections include: Blue Ginger ("Dichorisandra thyrsiflora"), Hāpuu ii ("Cibotium chamissoi"), Koa ("Acacia koa"), Blue Jacaranda ("Jacaranda mimosifolia"), "Nageia nagi", "Angiopteris evecta", Shaving Brush Tree ("Pseudobombax ellipticum"), Autograph Tree ("Clusia rosea"), Nutmeg ("Myristica fragrans"), Allspice ("Pimenta dioica"), Travellers' Palm ("Ravenala madagascariensis"), "Chrysophyllum oliviforme", Common Screwpine ("Pandanus utilis"), "Parkia javanica", Guanacaste ("Enterolobium cyclocarpum"), Candle Tree ("Parmentiera cereifera"), Elephant Apple ("Dillenia indica"), Moreton Bay Fig ("Ficus macrophylla"), Queensland Kauri ("Agathis robusta"), "Brownea macrophylla",