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
ʻAnianiau Its call is a pair of notes, "tew-weet", while its song is a trill of "wee-see, wee-see, wee-see". Anianiau are found in mesic and wet forests at elevations above . The highest densities occur above . Dominant tree species in its habitat include koa ("Acacia koa"), ōhia lehua ("Metrosideros polymorpha"), ōlapa ("Cheirodendron trigynum"), and lapalapa ("C. platyphyllum"). The anianiau mainly feeds on nectar from the flowers of plants such as ōhia lehua ("Metrosideros polymorpha"), ōhelo ("Vaccinium" spp.), and alani ("Melicope" spp.). It will also take arthropods from trees, shrubs, or vines. The anianiau breeding season ranges from February to June.