Primitive koa finch Downloaded on 10 July 2007. Primitive koa finch The primitive koa finch ("Rhodacanthis litotes") is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. It was endemic to Hawaii. Of the four species in the genus "Rhodacanthis", it and the scissor-billed koa finch became extinct before the arrival of the first Europeans to Hawaii in 1778. It is known as the ancestor of all koa finches. An adult primitive koa finch was slender and had a total length of about . There was probably a small distinct difference between the sexes. Based on fossils, it is known that the adult primitive koa finch had
Metrosideros polymorpha the most common native tree in the Hawaiian Islands, tolerating a wide range of soil conditions, temperature, and rainfall. It grows from sea level right up to the tree line at elevations of and is commonly found in moist and dry forests, high shrublands, and is a colonizer of recent lava flows. It is relatively slow growing. Dominant in cloud forests above , the tree is also common in seasonally wet forests, where it may be dominant or form mixtures with the native "Acacia koa". "Metrosideros polymorpha" may occur as a tall tree or a prostrate shrub, and everything in