Hawaiʻi ʻōʻō

The Hawaii ōō (''Moho nobilis'') was a member of the extinct genus of the ōōs ('' Moho'') within the extinct family Mohoidae. It was previously regarded as member of the Australo-Pacific honeyeaters (''Meliphagidae'').

Description

The Hawaii ōō was first described by Blasius Merrem in 1786. It had an overall length of , wing length of , and tail length of up to . The sexes were similar in appearance, but females were smaller and the end of their tail feathers was not as twisted as that of males. The colour of its plumage was glossy black with a brown shading at the belly. It also had yellowish tufts at the axillaries, which juveniles lacked. It had some yellowish plumes on its rump, but lacked yellow thigh feathers like the Bishop's ʻōʻō, and also lacked the whitish edgings on its tail feathers like the Oʻahu ʻōʻō. It had the largest yellow plumes on its wings out of all the species of ōō. The name of the cinder cone Puʻu ʻŌʻō is often translated as "Hill of the Ōō-Bird", referring to this species.

The Hawaii ōō had a dipping flight which was compared to that of the Eurasian magpie. George C. Munro noted that its wings could produce a buzzing sound while flapping quickly, which was not recorded in other birds present in its habitat. Its call was harsh and disyllabic, and this led to the belief that the name ''ōō'' was derived from this species. It was typically shy and timid, but it was highly aggressive towards other birds when they approached its territory, even interrupting its own acts to drive them away. This usually involved the bird engaging in a display, in which it would raise its wings, erect its tail feathers and display its yellowish plumes while attacking them.Hume, J. P., & Walters, M. (2012). ''Extinct Birds (Vol. 217)''. A&C Black. Nests and eggs of the Hawaii ōō have never been discovered, mainly because the species preferred to settle in the highest of branches.

Extinction

When Europeans first arrived, it was still relatively common on the Big Island, but its decline followed rapidly afterwards. Its striking plumage was already used for ''aahu alii'' (robes), '' ahu ula'' (capes), and '' kāhili'' (feathered staffs) of '' alii'' (Hawaiian nobility) by Native Hawaiians. Some were even caught and put in cages to be sold as songbirds, only to live for a few days or weeks before diseases from mosquitoes befell them. The decline of this bird was hastened by the introduction of the musket, which allowed hunters and collectors to shoot birds down from a distance, from great heights, and in great numbers. As late as 1898, hunters were still able to kill over a thousand individuals in one hunt, but after that year, the Hawaii ōō population declined rapidly.Henshaw, HW (1902)
Birds of the Hawaiian Islands
', p. 71. The birds became too rare to be shot in any great quantities, but continued to be found for nearly 30 years.

Despite records of mass hunting, collection seemed to play only a minor role in the species' extinction, and mosquito-borne diseases and deforestation probably were the major reasons for its extinction (very similar to the other members of its genus). The last known sighting was in 1934 on the slopes of Mauna Loa.

See also

* Kauai ʻoʻo
* Oahu ʻoʻo
* Bishop's ʻoʻo

References

External links

3D view
of specimens RMNH 110.044 and RMNH 110.045 (formerly RMNH 2142) at Naturalis, Leiden (requires QuickTime browser plugin).

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawaii Oo
Extinct birds of Hawaii
Moho (genus)
Bird extinctions since 1500
Birds described in 1786
Taxa named by Blasius Merrem