Scissor-billed koa finch Scissor-billed koa finch The scissor-billed koa finch, ("Rhodacanthis forfex") or scissor finch is an extinct species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. Of the four species in the genus "Rhodacanthis", the scissor-billed koa finch and the primitive koa finch became extinct before the arrival of the first Europeans to Hawaii in 1778. It was endemic to the islands of Maui and Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands. The scissor-billed koa finch was a granivore, that, like the other members of its genus, had a bill adapted to eat the hard seeds and pods of legumes. Pollen and fossil evidence indicates that "Ka palupalu o
Acacia koa used by ancient Hawaiians to build "waa" (dugout outrigger canoes) and "papa hee nalu" (surfboards). Only "paipo" (bodyboards), "kikoo", and "alaia" surfboards were made from koa, however; "olo", the longest surfboards, were made from the lighter and more buoyant "wiliwili" ("Erythrina sandwicensis"). The reddish wood is very similar in strength and weight to that of Black Walnut ("Juglans nigra"), with a specific gravity of 0.55, and is sought for use in wood carving and furniture. Koa is also a tonewood, often used in the construction of ukuleles, acoustic guitars, and Weissenborn-style Hawaiian steel guitars. B.C. Rich used koa on some