__NOTOC__ ''Moho'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of extinct

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

s in the Hawaiian bird family,

Mohoidae Mohoidae, also known as the Hawaiian honeyeaters, was a Family (biology), family of Hawaiian species of now Holocene extinction event, recently Extinction, extinct, Nectarivore, nectarivorous songbirds in the genera ''Moho (genus), Moho'' (ōō) ...

, that were

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to 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 ...

. Members of the genus are known as ''ōō'' in the

Hawaiian language Hawaiian (', ) is a critically endangered Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family, originating in and native to the Hawaiian Islands. It is the native language of the Hawaiian people. Hawaiian, along with English, is an offi ...

. Their

plumage Plumage () is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, there can b ...

was generally striking glossy black; some species had yellowish axillary tufts and other black outer

feather Feathers are epidermal growths that form a distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on both avian (bird) and some non-avian dinosaurs and other archosaurs. They are the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates and an exa ...

s. Most of these species became extinct by habitat loss, the introduction of mammalian predators (like rats, pigs, and mongooses), and by extensive hunting (their plumage was used for the creation of precious ''aahu alii'' (robes) and ''ahu ula'' (capes) for '' alii'' (Hawaiian

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

). The Kauai ōō was the last species of this genus to become extinct, likely a victim of

avian malaria Avian malaria is a parasitic disease of birds, caused by parasite species belonging to the genera ''Plasmodium'' and '' Hemoproteus'' (phylum Apicomplexa, class Haemosporidia, family Plasmoiidae). The disease is transmitted by a dipteran vector in ...

. Until recently, the birds in this genus were thought to belong to the family Meliphagidae (

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) because they looked and acted so similar to members of that family, including many morphological details. A 2008 study argued, on the basis of a

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical dat ...

analysis of

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...

from museum specimens, that the genera ''Moho'' and '' Chaetoptila'' do not belong to the Meliphagidae but instead belong to a group that includes the

waxwing The waxwings are three species of passerine birds classified in the genus ''Bombycilla''. They are pinkish-brown and pale grey with distinctive smooth plumage in which many body feathers are not individually visible, a black and white eyestripe, ...

s and the

palmchat The palmchat (''Dulus dominicus'') is a small, long-tailed passerine bird, the only species in the genus ''Dulus'' and the family Dulidae endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (split between the Dominican Republic and Haiti). It is rela ...

; they appear especially close to the

silky-flycatcher The silky-flycatchers are a small family, Ptiliogonatidae, of passerine birds. The family contains only four species in three genera. They were formerly lumped with waxwings and hypocolius in the family Bombycillidae, and they are listed in that ...

s. The authors proposed a family, Mohoidae, for these two extinct genera. The album ''

O'o ''O'o'' is an album by John Zorn released in 2009. It is the second album by The Dreamers following their 2008 release '' The Dreamers''. The title refers to the '' ʻōʻō'' of the Hawaiian Islands, the last living members of the now-extinct s ...

'' by jazz composer

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conducting, conductor, saxophonist, arrangement, arranger and record producer, producer who "deliberately resists category". His Avant-garde music, avant-garde and experimental music, ex ...

, released in 2009, is named after these birds.

Taxonomy

The following species belong to this genus (in addition, subfossil remains of a species are known from Maui and known in literature as the Maui ʻōʻō, ''Moho sp''.):

References

Bibliography

*Day, David (1981): ''The Doomsday Book of Animals'' *Greenway, James C. (1967): ''Extinct and Vanishing Birds of the World''

External links

Short description of the Moho species
(French) * *
Naturalis - Hawaii Ōō
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1786903 Bird genera Holocene extinctions Endemic fauna of Hawaii Extinct birds of Hawaii Bird extinctions since 1500 Taxa named by René Lesson Species that are or were threatened by disease Species that are or were threatened by habitat loss Species that are or were threatened by invasive species Species that are or were threatened by use in wearables