Slender-billed Crow (Corvus sp.)  

The subfossil remains of this form were recovered from the lava tubes at the Pu’u Wa’awa’a cinder cone in the northern Kona district, Hawai’i.  

This species was characterized by its long slender bill adapted for probing. [1]  

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The Slender-billed Crow was very likely a distinct species, closely related to – but not identical with the likewise extirpated Robust Crow (Corvus viriosus Olson & James).  

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References:  

[1] Jon G. Griffin: Pu’u Wa’awa’a Biological Assessment. Pu’u Wa’awa’a, North Kona, Hawaii 2003 
[2] Susan Culliney; Liba Pechar; Richard Switzer; Viviana Ruiz-Gutierrez: Seed dispersal by a captive corvid: the role of the ‘Alala (Corvus hawaiiensis) in shaping Hawai’i’s plant communities. Ecological Applications 22(6): 1718-1732. 2012  

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edited: 19.05.2019