Primitive koa finch viscosa") berries, as these were observed being eaten by other species in the genus. The primitive koa finch is believed to have gone extinct some time after Polynesians first arrived in Hawaii, however very little else is known about this species. Due to its early extinction it is only known from fossil remains. Other Hawaiian honeycreepers are known to have become extinct or very rare due to habitat loss, introduced predators and avian diseases. It is possible the extinction of the primitive koa finch also involved these factors. BirdLife International 2004. Himatione sanguinea. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Acacia koa of their electric guitars as well, and still uses a koa-veneered topwood on certain models. Fender made limited edition koa wood models of the Telecaster and the Stratocaster in 2006. Trey Anastasio, guitarist for the band Phish, primarily uses a koa hollowbody Languedoc guitar. Commercial silviculture of koa takes 20 to 25 years before a tree is of useful size. Among other Pacific Islands of volcanic (non-continental) origin, only Vanuatu has native "Acacia" species. "A. heterophylla", from distant Réunion, is very similar and has been suggested to be the closest relative of koa. Genetic sequence analysis results announced in 2014