Male Laysan honeycreeper photographed by Donald R. Dickey in 1923, a few days before the extinction of the species
Conservation status
Extinct (1923) (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Order:
Passeriformes
Family:
Fringillidae
Subfamily:
Carduelinae
Genus:
Himatione
Species:
†H. fraithii
Binomial name
†Himatione fraithii
Rothschild, 1892
Map of the Hawaiian Islands showing Laysan Island in the lower left inset box
Synonyms[2]
List
H. fraithi Rothschild, 1892
H. freethii Rothschild, 1893–1900
H. freethi Rothschild, 1893–1900
H. frethii Schauinsland, 1899
H. sanguinea fraithii Hartert, 1919
H. sanguinea fraithi Delacour
H. sanguinea freethii Amadon, 1950
H. sanguinea freethi Pratt et al., 1987
The Laysan honeycreeper (Himatione fraithii), also known as the Laysan ʻapapane or Laysan honeyeater, is an extinct species of finch that was endemic to the island of Laysan in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The bird was first recorded in 1828, received its scientific name from Walter Rothschild in 1892, and was placed in the genus Himatione along with the ʻapapane. The specific name, fraithii, refers to George D. Freeth, the self-appointed governor of Laysan, but was misspelled. Rothschild attempted to emend it to freethi in a later publication. This was accepted by most subsequent authors throughout the 20th century, and the bird was also considered a subspecies of the ʻapapane, as H.sanguineafreethii, for most of this time. By the 21st century, after further research, the original name was reinstated and it was considered a full species again. As a Hawaiian honeycreeper, a grouping within the finch subfamily Carduelinae, its ancestors are thought to have come from Asia.
The Laysan honeycreeper was 13–15 cm (5–6 in) long, and its wing measured 64–69 mm (2.5–2.7 in). It was bright scarlet vermilion with a faint tint of golden orange on the head, breast and upper abdomen, while the rest of its upper parts were orange scarlet. The lower abdomen was dusky gray that faded into brownish white, and the under-tail covert feathers were grayish. The wings, tail, bill, and legs were dark brown, while the iris was black with a brown outline. Immature birds were brown, with paler lower parts, and had green edges to their wing-covert feathers. The bill was slender and downturned. The sexes were alike, though the bill, wings, and tail were slightly shorter in the female. The ʻapapane differs from the Laysan honeycreeper in features such as being blood-red overall and having a longer bill. The song of the Laysan honeycreeper was described as low and sweet, consisting of several notes. Laysan is a remote coral island with an area of 3.6 km2 (1.4 sq mi). The honeycreeper lived throughout it, but was most abundant in the interior among tall grass and low bushes near the open plain that bordered the island's lagoon.
This bird was very active and, while less trusting than other birds, sometimes entered buildings to hunt moths and for roosting at night. It was nectarivorous and insectivorous, and unlike the ʻapapane, also foraged on the ground. It gathered nectar and insects from flowers, such as caterpillars and moths called millers, only eating the soft parts of the latter. The nest was made of fine grass and rootlets with some dry grass. The breeding season was probably between January and June, and the clutch size was four or five eggs. The eggs were glossless white, with blotches and spots at the larger end. A typical egg measured 18 by 13.7 mm (0.71 by 0.54 in). The bird did not seem to be abundant when discovered and was considered the rarest of the island's birds. In 1903, domestic rabbits were introduced to the island, which proceeded to destroy its vegetation. By the visit of the Tanager Expedition in 1923, Laysan had become barren and desert-like, and only three Laysan honeycreepers were found, one of which was filmed. A few days later, on April 23, a sandstorm hit the island, and the last birds perished due to lack of cover. The destruction of Laysan's vegetation led to the extinction of three out of five of its endemic land birds.
^BirdLife International (2017). "Himatione fraithii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T103829706A119553201. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T103829706A119553201.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
^Cite error: The named reference Pyle was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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