 It is believed that the Lānai hookbill inhabited montane dry forests on Lānai dominated by akoko ("Euphorbia" species) and ōpuhe ("Urera glabra").The unique shape of the hookbill's bill, particularly when compared with the ōū's bill, and its apparent rarity suggested that the species was an extreme specialist and was therefore restricted to this habitat.The Lānai hookbill is only known to have eaten the fruit of the ōpuhe.