Bird
Hawaii 'O'o
Moho nobilisAlso known as Hawaii Oo, Noble Moho
Hawaiʻi ʻōʻō frequented the high rainforest canopies of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, probing deep into the blossoms of ʻōhiʻa lehua trees with a curved bill. Males possessed striking, arched tail plumes and vibrant yellow axillary tufts, which were historically collected by native bird catchers to craft feather cloaks for nobility. Avian malaria transmitted by introduced mosquitoes, combined with deforestation and predatory mammals, drove this resonant songbird to extinction by the 1930s.
Canopy DwellerNectarivore
—observations
—countries
—peak records
ExtinctConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXExtinctRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyʻŌhiʻa lehua nectar, Spiders, Insects
Predators
- Black rat
- Feral cat
- Small Indian mongoose
ThreatsAvian malaria, introduced mammalian predators, and habitat clearing
HabitatsMontane wet and mesic rainforests
Life spanEstimated 8–12 years
Classification
- FamilyMohoidae
- SpeciesMoho nobilis
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
- Museum Collections: Study preserved skins and royal feather work at natural history institutions.
- Acoustic Archives: Listen to historical audio recordings of related honeyeaters to hear their bell-like calls.
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) Auckland Museum, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Close Relative Wmpearl / CC0 · cc0
Same Family John Gerrard Keulemans / Public domain · cc0
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