Kauaʻi palila facts for kids

The Kauaʻi palila or Pila's palila (Loxioides kikuchi) was a special bird from the Hawaiian Islands. It was a type of finch, much bigger than the palila (Loxioides bailleui) we know today. Scientists think it had beautiful feathers of red, gold, white, and black. This bird is now extinct, meaning it no longer exists anywhere on Earth. We know about it from old bones found in a cave called Makauwahi Cave on the south coast of Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands.

Why Did the Kauaʻi Palila Disappear?

The Kauaʻi palila was one of many native Hawaiian birds that faced big problems. Their environment changed a lot because of human activities like farming.

Habitat Loss and Changes

People started cutting down the dry forests where these birds lived. They also used irrigation to bring water from streams to their farms. This made the ecosystem much wetter than it naturally was.

The native naio (Myoporum sandwicense) trees, which were important for the palila, began to rot because of all the extra water. These changes pushed the Kauaʻi palila to its limit. Even though it had lived for a long time, it could not survive these drastic changes to its home.

When Did It Become Extinct?

The Kauaʻi palila became extinct a long time ago. Some experts believe the last birds might have lived into the 1800s. We only know about this bird from a few bone samples found on Kauaʻi island. It is not known if the native Hawaiian people had a name for this bird. It seems to have disappeared before Europeans arrived in Hawaii.