The O‘ahu ‘ō‘ō (''Moho apicalis'') was a member of the extinct genus of the ‘ō‘ōs ('' Moho'') within the extinct family Mohoidae. It was previously regarded as member of the Australo-Pacific

honeyeater The honeyeaters are a large and diverse family, Meliphagidae, of small to medium-sized birds. The family includes the Australian chats, myzomelas, friarbirds, wattlebirds, miners and melidectes. They are most common in Australia and New Gui ...

s (Meliphagidae).

Description

The males reached a length of 30.5 centimeters. The wing length was 10.5 to 11.4 centimeters, the culmen was between 3.5 and 3.8 centimetres and the tarsus was between 3.4 and 3.8 centimeters. The females were smaller. The plumage was predominantly sooty black. The tail feathers were brown and had, with the exception of the two central tail feathers, white tips. Further characteristics were the white feather tufts under the axillaries and the two narrow central tail feathers which changed into fine hair-like or fibrous tips. The flanks and the undertail coverts were colored deeply yellow. The bill and the tarsus were black. Its biology was not well-studied.

Distribution and habitat

Its habitat was the mountain forests on O‘ahu.

Extinction

The O‘ahu ‘ō‘ō was first mentioned by

Andrew Bloxam Andrew Bloxam (22 September 1801 – 2 February 1878) was an English clergyman and naturalist; in his later life he had a particular interest in botany. He was the naturalist on board during its voyage around South America and the Pacific in 18 ...

. While in the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands () are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the Pacific Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the Hawaii (island), island of Hawaii in the south to nort ...

in 1825 (as the naturalist on board HMS ''Blonde''), he saw live specimens of the bird which were brought to him by locals. He preserved one specimen. He wrote in his diary (not published until much later): "They are now very scarce in all the islands. I did not see even one in the different excursions I made, & the natives asked a high price for the very few they brought to me." Bloxam misidentified the birds as the related species ''Moho nobilis''.

John Gould John Gould (; 14 September 1804 – 3 February 1881) was an English ornithologist who published monographs on birds, illustrated by plates produced by his wife, Elizabeth Gould (illustrator), Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists, includ ...

scientifically named and described the O‘ahu ‘ō‘ō in 1860, when it was already regarded as extinct for 23 years. The last reliable evidence was a collection of about three birds by German naturalist

Ferdinand Deppe Paul Ferdinand Deppe known mostly as Ferdinand Deppe (20 October 1795 – 3 February 1861) was a German naturalist, explorer and painter. He was the younger brother of Wilhelm Deppe, an accountant with the Berlin Zoological Museum. A number of sp ...

in 1837, finding those specimens in the hills behind the capital,

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

. After surveys led by ornithologist Robert C. L. Perkins and others failed to find the bird between 1880 and 1890, it was described as extinct. Today, there are seven specimens in museum collections in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

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New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

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Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. The reasons for its extinction were (as typical for members of the Mohoidae) probably avian diseases caused by introduced

mosquito Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a Family (biology), family of small Diptera, flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by ''Musca (fly), mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish and Portuguese for ''little fly''. Mos ...

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

overgrazing Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature ...

from livestock and

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...

References

Bibliography

* Munro, George C. (1944 and its revised 2nd. edition from 1960): ''Birds of Hawaii'' *Flannery, Tim & Schouten, Peter (2001): ''A Gap in Nature'' *Fuller, Errol (2000): ''Extinct Birds'' *Day, David (1981): ''The Doomsday Book of Animals'' *Greenway, James C. (1967): ''Extinct and Vanishing Birds of the World'' *Luther, Dieter (2005): ''Die ausgestorbenen Vögel der Welt''

External links

Species factsheet
- BirdLife International {{DEFAULTSORT:Oahu Oo Extinct birds of Hawaii Moho (genus) Bird extinctions since 1500 Birds described in 1860 Species made extinct by human activities