Drepanis (Noun)
Meaning
A genus of Drepanididae.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- The genus Drepanis includes two extinct species of Hawaiian honeyeaters, specifically the ʻĪʻawi and the Moa-nalo.
- Drepanis species had been classified into other genera until reclassified by various researchers over time.
- It has been argued that some birds are best assigned to other genera but phylogenetic data supported a return to Drepanis for them.
- This extinct genus once flourished across various habitats of the Hawaiian Islands but fell prey to disease and invasive predators.
- However researchers generally group only the two specific mentioned extinct honeyeater species as the most true to this classification as the Drepanis.