Mohoidae, also known as the Hawaiian honeyeaters, is a

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

an species of

recently ''Recently'' may refer to: * ''Recently'' (album), by Joan Baez * ''Recently'' (EP), by Dave Matthews Band {{Disambig ...

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

nectarivorous In zoology, a nectarivore is an animal which derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of the sugar-rich nectar produced by flowering plants. Nectar as a food source presents a number of benefits a ...

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 500 ...

s in the genera '' Moho'' (ōō) and ''

Chaetoptila The kioea (''Chaetoptila angustipluma'') was a endemic Hawaiian bird that became extinct around the mid-19th century. Description The kioea was a large bird, about long, with a long, slightly curved bill. What distinguished the kioea from othe ...

'' (kioea). These now extinct birds form their own family, representing the only complete extinction of an entire avian family in modern times, when the disputed family Turnagridae is regarded as invalid. The last surviving species in the family, the Kauai O'o (''Moho braccatus''), became extinct after 1987.

Taxonomy

Until recently, these birds were thought to belong to the family Meliphagidae (

honeyeater The honeyeaters are a large and diverse family (biology), family, Meliphagidae, of small to medium-sized birds. The family includes the Epthianura, Australian chats, myzomelas, friarbirds, wattlebirds, Manorina, miners and melidectes. They are ...

s) due to their very similar appearance and behavior, including many morphological details. However, a 2008 study argued, on the basis of a

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

analysis of DNA from museum specimens, that the genera ''Moho'' and ''Chaetoptila'' are not even closely related to the Meliphagidae but instead belong to a group within the

Passerida Passerida is, under the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, one of two parvorders contained within the suborder Passeri (standard taxonomic practice would place them at the rank of infraorder). While more recent research suggests that its sister parvorder ...

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 tha ...

s. Hawaiian honeyeaters did not evolve from the similar looking

Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologica ...

n honeyeaters, but instead represent a striking case of

convergent evolution Convergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar features in species of different periods or epochs in time. Convergent evolution creates analogous structures that have similar form or function but were not present in the last com ...

. The authors proposed a family, Mohoidae, for these two extinct genera. Phylogenetic evidence from a 2019 taxonomic study supports the Mohoidae having an early

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

origin, having originated 15-20 million years ago, and being the

sister group In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and t ...

to the family

Hypocoliidae The grey hypocolius or simply hypocolius (''Hypocolius ampelinus'') is a small passerine bird species. It is the sole member of the genus ''Hypocolius'' and it is placed in a family of its own, the Hypocoliidae. This slender and long tailed bird i ...

, which contains only the

grey hypocolius The grey hypocolius or simply hypocolius (''Hypocolius ampelinus'') is a small passerine bird species. It is the sole member of the genus ''Hypocolius'' and it is placed in a family of its own, the Hypocoliidae. This slender and long tailed bird i ...

(''Hypocolius ampelinus''), with the clade containing Mohoidae and Hypocoliidae being sister to the

hylocitrea The hylocitrea (''Hylocitrea bonensis''), also known as the yellow-flanked whistler or olive-flanked whistler, is a species of bird that is endemic to montane forests on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.Boles, W. E. (2007). Yellow-flanked Whistl ...

Hylocitreidae The hylocitrea (''Hylocitrea bonensis''), also known as the yellow-flanked whistler or olive-flanked whistler, is a species of bird that is endemic to montane forests on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.Boles, W. E. (2007). Yellow-flanked Whist ...

, which diverged from them slightly earlier in the Miocene. This makes them much older than the other major radiation of endemic Hawaiian birds, the

Hawaiian honeycreepers Hawaiian may refer to: * Native Hawaiians, the current term for the indigenous people of the Hawaiian Islands or their descendants * Hawaii state residents, regardless of ancestry (only used outside of Hawaii) * Hawaiian language Historic uses ...

(a clade within

Fringillidae The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usua ...

), which originated much later in the Miocene, around 7 million years ago.

Species

Family: Mohoidae *†''

'' P.L. Sclater, 1871 **†''Chaetoptila angustipluma'' Peale, 1848 (

Kioea The kioea (''Chaetoptila angustipluma'') was a endemic Hawaiian bird that became extinct around the mid-19th century. Description The kioea was a large bird, about long, with a long, slightly curved bill. What distinguished the kioea from othe ...

) **†''Chaetoptila cf.angustipluma'' (Oahu kioea - extinct before European contact) **''?Chaetoptila sp.'' (Narrow-billed kioea - extinct before European contact) *†'' Moho''

Lesson A lesson or class is a structured period of time where learning is intended to occur. It involves one or more students (also called pupils or learners in some circumstances) being taught by a teacher or instructor. A lesson may be either one ...

, 1830 -

ʻōʻō __NOTOC__ ''Moho'' is a genus of extinct birds in the Hawaiian bird family, Mohoidae, that were endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Members of the genus are known as ''ōō'' in the Hawaiian language. Their plumage was generally striking glossy ...

**†''Moho apicalis''

Gould Gould may refer to: People * Gould (name), a surname Places United States * Gould, Arkansas, a city * Gould, Colorado, an unincorporated community * Gould, Ohio, an unincorporated community * Gould, Oklahoma, a town * Gould, West Virginia, a ...

, 1860 – Oahu ōō **†''Moho bishopi''

Rothschild Rothschild () is a name derived from the German ''zum rothen Schild'' (with the old spelling "th"), meaning "with the red sign", in reference to the houses where these family members lived or had lived. At the time, houses were designated by sign ...

, 1893 – Bishop's ōō **†''Moho braccatus'' Cassin, 1855 – Kauai ōō **†''Moho nobilis'' Merrem, 1786 – Hawaii ōō

Gallery

File:Moho apicalis-Keulemans.jpg, Oahu ōō File:Moho-bishopi.jpg, Bishop's ōō File:Moho nobilis-Keulemans.jpg, Hawaii ōō File:Kauaioo.jpg, Kauai ōō File:Chaetoptila angustipluma.jpg, Kioea

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q134010 Extinct birds of Hawaii Holocene extinctions Miocene first appearances Endemic fauna of Hawaii Taxa named by Helen F. James