#moho braccatus

[karroana]

Third bird for this year’s avian august : the Kaua‘i ‘ō ‘ō (Moho braccatus) foraging on some ‘ōhi‘a (Metrosideros polymorpha).

The extinction of this species is a hauntingly sad and lonely story (as they’re all…) and that’s why i chose to draw a pair, seeking to heal my heart a bit :’)

[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.

[extinctcreaturesdaily]

today's daily is: the kauaʻi ʻōʻō! (moho braccatus)

( requested by @thefuchsianeko :] )

[ladoslee]

And as the last kauai o’o sings his duet, alone, no one will respond to his song.

[proton-wobbler]

Kaua'i O'o (Moho braccatus)

"They're extinct and have a really sad story, and I would like everyone else to hear the last male's song and be sad too." "you said to submit birds that "have changed your *life*-- okay, maybe not that deep" but this bird has LEGITIMATELY CHANGED MY LIFE. i watched this video: [posted below] (please please please watch it it's a short animated film on John Sincock's experiences in Kauai with the Kauaʻi ʻōʻō) just as i was finishing Bill Bryson's 'A Short History of Nearly Everything', in which he chronicles the human impact on rate of human extinction--and especially birds, SINGLEHANDEDLY (or doublehandedly, since it was the combo of the animation and the book) kickstarting my obsession with extinct birds. I already really liked birds, but there's something just so tragically gorgeous about the extinct ones. I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS ABOUT THEM AND NONE OF THEM ARE COHERENT ENOUGH FOR WORDS."

Hey so I cried so much over this video and I already knew about the story of the Kaua'i O'o. Hawaiian birds are facing extinction at an alarming rate and really need all of the help they can get. Many other native bird species are struggling right now with habitat loss, invasive species, and mosquito borne illness threatening the last of their populations.

As for Kaua'i O'o, this is a bird we can never get back. There is no possible hope hiding on another island, because that's not how island birds work. The family this bird belongs to, Mohoidae or Hawaiian honeycreepers, is an entirely extinct family of birds, and the only avian family that has gone entirely extinct in modern times.

If the story of this bird impacts you, please hold that impact close to your heart. Fighting against habitat degradation is hard enough already, but it is possible to save what we have left.

Sources:

Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund protects native species & habitats, engages in education, outreach, marine debris removal, conservation, research, adv

While not bird specific, this organization works with all kinds of Hawaiian wildlife. I wanted to include something at the end of this, as it can be too easy to fall into the doom-and-gloom cycle and forget that we can do things to help impact our world.

[bio-facts]

The last song | La última canción | A última canção

English

Moho braccatus, known as  ʻōʻō de Kaua was an endemic bird to the island of Kauaʻi officially extinct in the 20th century. Its extinction was a combination of several factors, such as mosquito-transmitted disease, introduction of mammalian predators such as the small Indian mongoose or Polynesian rat, and the destruction of its habitat, making the species more vulnerable to catastrophic weather events.

A male was last heard in 1987, the audio from this video. The images are from 1985, when he was last seen.

The silences between songs are meant for the female to fill with her  singing, since during the mating season they form a duet.

Dr. Christopher W. Clark : The last male of a species, singing for a female who will never come. And now his voice is gone.

Not only is the species extinct, but the whole genus was swiped away within the last male.

/

Español

Moho braccatus fue un pájaro endémico de la isla Hawwaiana Kaua’i, extinguido oficialmente en el siglo 20. Su extinción fue una combinación de varios factores, como las enfermedades transmitidas por mosquitos, introducción de mamíferos depredadores como la rata de la Polinesia y el meloncillo chico, y la destrucción de su hábitat, acentuando la debilidad de la especie a catástrofes naturales.

El último macho fue escuchado por última vez en 1987, es el audio de este vídeo. Las imágenes son de 1985, cuando fue visto por última vez.

Los silencios entre cada canto están destinados a que la hembra cante su parte, ya que forman un dueto durante el cortejo.

Dr. Christopher W. Clark dijo: El último macho de la especie canta por una hembra que nunca llegará. Y ahora su voz ha desaparecido.

No sólo ha supuesto la extinción de la especie, sino que todo el género desapareció junto con este macho.  

/

Português

Moho braccatus era uma ave endêmica da ilha havaiana de Kaua'i, oficialmente extinta no século 20. Sua extinção foi uma combinação de vários fatores, incluindo doenças transmitidas por mosquitos, introdução de mamíferos predadores como o rato polinésio e a mangusto, e a destruição de seu habitat, acentuando a fragilidade da espécie às catástrofes naturais.

 O último macho foi ouvido pela última vez em 1987, é o áudio deste vídeo. As imagens são de 1985, quando ele foi visto pela última vez.

Os silêncios entre cada cantoria servem para que a fêmea cante sua parte, pois formam um dueto durante o ritual de acasalamento.

 Dr. Christopher W. Clark disse: O último macho da espécie canta para uma fêmea que nunca virá. E agora sua voz desapareceu.

 Não só levou à extinção da espécie, mas todo o gênero desapareceu junto com este macho.

|

[rjzimmerman]

The sad song of extinction

Kaua'i 'O'o (1975) by H. Douglas Pratt

I was reading a review of the documentary, “32 Sounds” in the New York Times, and read the following intriguing story within the review:

Early in Sam Green’s relentlessly curious documentary “32 Sounds,” the filmmaker asks an employee of the British Library Sound Archive — one of the world’s largest collections of audio recordings — if she has a favorite sound. Choosing among the archive’s nearly 7 million options, she cues up a 1987 recording of the mating call of the Moho braccatus, a Hawaiian bird with dark plumage and bright shocks of yellow sprouting from its legs. [The local name for the bird has been the “Kauai O’o.”]

The Moho braccatus was declared endangered in 1973, and by the early 1980s its population had dwindled to two, one male and one female. In 1982, the female was killed in a storm. And so this heartbreaking recording depicts the male’s determined mating call — a lilting, hauntingly hopeful whistle — ringing out five years after the death of the only bird who could possibly answer it.

For some reason, maybe my current mood, I was deeply affected by that story about the Kauai O’o. The darkness and loneliness of extinction. Our human role in the extinction. The “Sixth Extinction,” attributable to us.

So I decided to explore the story a little, and found a few videos about the bird, three of which I’m posting below. The first is called, “Racing Extinction,” a little over two-minute take on extinction, with the primary feature being the Kauai O’o. The second is an animated story about the mating of a boy and girl Kauai O’o and its tragic ending (listen at the end for the birdsong). It’s called “Vanishing Voices: a farewell to the O’o.” It’s about three a half minutes. The last one shows a musical score of the birdsong, with a few human-produced sounds overlying the birdsong. It’s entitled, “Kaua’i o’o Melody.” It’s less than a minute long.

Enjoy! Might make you sad.

[saint-nevermore]

for my first weekly project at university I drew the Kuau`i ō`ō, a bird who was last heard in 1987 and believed to be extinct. there's a clip of the last male singing a mating call which would've been a duet with a female with which they mate for life with, but she isn't there to answer.