The Oahu thrush or ʻāmaui (''Myadestes lanaiensis woahensis'') was a subspecies of the

olomaʻo The olomao (''Myadestes lanaiensis'') is a small, dark solitaire endemic to Maui, Lānai and Molokai in the Hawaiian Islands. It is listed as Critically Endangered or possibly extinct. The extinct ʻāmaui, either a subspecies of ''M. lan ...

endemic to the island of

Oahu Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O� ...

. It was the first member of its genus to become extinct, c. 1850. Some taxonomic authorities consider it a distinct species, but the

International Ornithological Congress International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

presently classifies it as a subspecies of ''M. lanaiensis''. Its island name ʻāmaui is technically a corruption, as the Hawaiians considered all the thrushes from Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Oahu to be one species, the ʻāmaui. It was a large brownish

songbird A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds ( Passeriformes). Another name that is sometimes seen as the scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin ''oscen'', "songbird". The Passeriformes contains 50 ...

that lived in much of the highland forests on Oahu. It may have been mainly a fruit eater like many of the other Hawaiian thrushes. Due to its quick extinction, little is known about the ʻāmaui. It may have nested in trees like the ‘ōma’o or nested in crevices like the extinct

kāmaʻo The kāmao or large Kauai thrush (''Myadestes myadestinus'') was a small, dark solitaire endemic to Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands. Characteristics The adult bird grew up to in length. The male and female of the species looked similar. It w ...

. Its song was reported to be similar to the Molokai

, which may be its closest relative. It became extinct due to serious habitat degradation and destruction. Mosquitoes, introduced about thirty years earlier, caused the birds to evacuate what little good habitat was left in the low altitude areas of Oahu - and if the birds did not leave, they would have contracted malaria and perished. Birds that retreated to upper elevations would have been harassed by introduced rats, which attack the berries and steal chicks from nests. This species' extinction was not well recorded, as no one mentions a specific year when the ʻāmaui was last identified. Scientists believe that the species vanished between 1840 and 1860, most likely during the late 1850s. It is known from a single specimen taken in 1825 (now lost) and

subfossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

bones. The name derives from ''manu a Māui'': " Māui's bird.

References

External links

Species factsheet
- BirdLife International Extinct birds of Hawaii Endemic birds of Hawaii Subspecies Myadestes Bird extinctions since 1500 Birds described in 1899 {{Hawaii-stub