Bird
Kauai 'O'o
Moho braccatusAlso known as Ooaa, Kauai Honeyeater
Kauaʻi ʻōʻō was a slender, glossy forest songbird renowned for striking golden thigh plumage and a hollow, flute-like ringing call that echoed through the high-elevation canopies of Hawaiʻi. Mated pairs spent their days performing precise vocal duets while hopping through mossy branches to probe native blossoms and crevices for food. The bird's tragic demise during the late twentieth century marked the extinction of the entire Mohoidae family, an ancient avian lineage found nowhere else on Earth.
EndemicForest
—observations
—countries
—peak records
ExtinctConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXExtinctRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyOhia lehua nectar, Caterpillars, Spiders
Predators
- Black rat
- Polynesian rat
- Feral cat
ThreatsAvian malaria, invasive black rats, and hurricane-driven habitat destruction
HabitatsMontane rainforests and high-elevation cloud forest ravines
Life span8–12 years
Classification
- FamilyMohoidae
- SpeciesMoho braccatus
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Archival audio: Listen to field recordings preserved at major sound libraries to hear its final solitary mating calls.
- Museum collections: Visit natural history museums to study its preserved plumage, decurved bill, and bright yellow thigh tufts.
Competitor (c) Clay Gibbons, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Host Plant (c) Kevin Faccenda, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Kevin Faccenda · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Abujoy, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Close Relative Wmpearl / CC0 · cc0
Close Relative John Gerrard Keulemans / Public domain · cc0
Same Family John Gerrard Keulemans / Public domain · cc0
Help improve the field guideSomething wrong?
Checking your Fauna account…Report a name, category, or profile issue for review.