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
ʻApapane Lānai. Apapane generally feed on nectar from flowers, preferably from the "ōhia lehua" ("Metrosideros polymorpha") tree. These birds are mainly found in "koa" ("Acacia koa") and "ōhia lehua" forests where the flower count is high. Although primarily nectarivorous, the diet of a grown apapane also includes a variety of insects like grasshoppers, caterpillars and bugs of all sorts. The breeding season is from January through July. The nest of the apapane is usually placed in the crown of a "ōhia lehua" ("Metrosideros polymorpha"); nests have been found in tree cavities and lava tubes as well as in the top of