#extinctbirds

[jadafitch]

Day 30 of Avian August 2025, Birds of Hawaii, hosted by @cookiedoves: Kākāwahie or Molokaʻi creeper (Paroreomyza flammea)

The males of these little Hawaiian honeycreepers were once described as looking like a ball of flame. Their brilliant red plumage made them easy to spot in Molokaʻi’s wet montane forests. Sadly, the last confirmed sighting was on the ʻŌhiʻalele Plateau in 1963, and the species has since been declared extinct.

Kōpiko, or forest wild coffee (Psychotria mariniana), is a tree endemic to Hawaiʻi. It still grows in the same montane forests the kākāwahie once called home. Though the two species didn’t rely on each other directly, it’s likely that the honeycreeper foraged among the tree’s branches and collected pieces for nesting material.

[duckrabbit57]

Mauritius Blue Pigeon reconstruction With a copy of a drawing from the Gelderland journal #extinctbirds #dodo #bird #taxidermy #taxidermyart #dframptontaxidermy https://www.instagram.com/p/CghTF_NKTEi/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[jadafitch]

Day 28 of Avian August 2025, Birds of Hawaii, hosted by @cookiedoves: ʻUla-ʻai-hāwane (Ciridops anna)

ʻUla-ʻai-hāwane was a member of the Hawaiian honeycreepers but sadly disappeared in 1892. The name ʻula-ʻai-hāwane means "red bird that eats hāwane" (the fruit of the loulu palm) in Hawaiian. Its diet primarily consisted of the flowers, seeds, unripe fruits, and insects associated with several species of loulu palms (Pritchardia).

The relationship between the honeycreeper and these palms was a delicate one. The Hawaiian pritchardia (Pritchardia affinis) is now critically endangered, largely due to introduced pigs and rats that destroy young plants. The number of surviving palms was not sufficient to support the ʻula-ʻai-hāwane, which depended on them.

[jadafitch]

Day 25 of Avian August 2025, Birds of Hawaii, hosted by @cookiedoves: ʻōʻōʻāʻā or Kauaʻi ʻōʻō (Moho braccatus)

The ʻōʻōʻāʻā was one of five nectarivorous species in the Mohoidae (Hawaiian honeyeater) family of birds. All were endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, and all are now extinct. The ʻōʻōʻāʻā was the last member of the family to disappear, its call last recorded in 1987.

Many flowering plants, such as the Alakaʻi swamp lobelia (Lobelia villosa), relied on Hawaiian honeyeaters as pollinators. Without their historical partners, many of these flowers are now dependent on generalist species or wind pollination, leaving their future uncertain as well.

[jadafitch]

Day 27 of Avian August 2025, Birds of Hawaii, hosted by @cookiedoves: ʻŌʻū (Psittirostra psittacea)

The last time anyone reported seeing an ʻōʻū was in 1989, and in 2024, this species of Hawaiian honeycreeper was declared extinct. Before its sudden decline in the 20th century, the bird was fairly widespread across the islands, flying long distances in search of fruit. Its preferred food was the fruit of the ʻieʻie (Freycinetia arborea). In return for this nourishment, the ʻōʻū helped disperse the seeds of the vine-like epiphytic plant across the islands.

[duckrabbit57]

Great Auk reconstruction based on the Bullock’s Papa Westray Auk and one of my dodo skeleton reconstructions #extinctbirds #extinctanimals #taxidermy #museumexhibit #extinct #dframptontaxidermist #natralhistory #greatauk #dodo #dodoskeleton https://www.instagram.com/p/CcBDP_sqYZf/?utm_medium=tumblr

[duckrabbit57]

Newton’s parakeet reconstruction #extinctbirds #birds #taxidermyart #parakeets #dframptontaxidermy #taxidermy #extinct https://www.instagram.com/p/CgzflgNKW_i/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[duckrabbit57]

@chrisgpackham2 happily taking delivery of his Great Auk recreation #chrisgpakham2 #extinctbirds #extinctanimals #birds #extinction #taxidermyuk #taxidermy #d.Frampton taxidermy #museumexhibit #greatauk https://www.instagram.com/p/ClWeIVDKs7_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=