The Kauai finch was about 5½ inch in length[citation needed] and had a very blunt bill that possibly could crack nuts and flowers (e.g., ‘ōhi‘a lehua blossoms) to digest the cellulose easily.

The Kauai finch was believed to have once survived in highland forest, but its fossils have been found frequently at the lower elevations of the island[citation needed].

Five hundred years before Europeans made landfall to Hawaii, the bird was probably extinct[citation needed].

It has been speculated that this species' visits to lower elevations was its undoing due to contact with avian diseases and pests[citation needed].

Many avian diseases and parasites also pose a major threat to Hawai`i's native forest birds.