Talk:Giant nukupuʻu

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I removed the following from the article text. It had been added to the 12:51, 27 May 2008 version by Dysmorodrepanis - copied here for reference:


 * The following is from "Oval-billed Nukupu'u" article which is based on an unreliable source (see link) and was written by an inexperienced editor who did not bother to check for good sources: the taxonomic authority is given as "Giffen, 1992", which is the discoverer and discovery date, not the description date, and the name of the discoverer is apparently "Giffin": see "Giffin J. 1993. New species of flightless birds found at Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a. ‘Elepaio. 53:1–3.". The "giant akialoa" mentioned in the source is in fact the undescribed species, but whether it is "the largest" is not clear. See Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2004, 141, 207–255 (under "Akialoa sp. Hawaii")]


 * The Oval-billed Nukupu'u (Hemignathus ) is an extinct species of Hawaiian honeycreeper in the Drepanididae family. It was found on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1992. This is where Mr Jon Giffen a biologist from Hawaii discovered two new species of birds in a lava tube. The two species were the Giant Akialoa, and the Oval-billed Nukupu'u.


 * Its oval shaped bill was able to wedge into cracks in bark to find grubs and other insects. Like its recent relative, it may have fed on O'hia blossoms and other flowers in season.


 * It was larger in proportion to its relative the Nukupu'u, and was unusual in the shape of its bill which was an oval (hence its name).


 * This bird was once common. In the cave where it was originally discovered there were the skeletons of hundreds of Oval-billed Nukupu'u. It seems that when people first arrived on the islands the ecosystem changed dramatically. The O'hia, Mamane, and Lobelias of today were rare during the time of the Oval-billed Nukupu'u. Common birds like Apapane, Amakihi, and I'iwi were quite rare. During this time between 4 million years to 1900 years ago the more common plants were Ferns, Koa, and in some places mint. But about 1900 years ago, people arrived and the mints, koas, and ferns started to disappear. The Oval-billed Nukupu'u soon began to follow as there were less places to find food. Other forest birds took advantage of this opportunity to begin to expand. Soon the Apapane, Amakihi, and I'iwi began to pollinate more familiar plants, which became common. This bird decreased in numbers as its forest was cut down for agriculture, and firewood. Pests like rats came off ships and terrorized the birds. The bird became extinct.


 * ==Source==
 * http://www.hawaii-forest.com/essays/9706.html