Telespyza ultima
Click for larger image
When this bird was first discovered in 1917 scientists assumed it would be the final endemic Hawaiian bird species to be classified, hence the Latin name ultima - or last. This wasn't the case but the name stuck.
The population of the finches fluctuates between 1,000 and 5,000, usually due to local environmental conditions, especially rainfall.
Like the closely-related Laysan Finch,
the Nihoa Finch's diet is made up of seeds, insects, flowers and
occasionally seabird eggs
Adults usually are about 5.5 inches long
A small number of Nihoa Finches were released on the French
Frigate Shoals in 1967 to help protect this species. This
colony failed however.
Nihoa Finch Links
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Photo by Stewart Fefer, USFWS
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