Kauaʻi ʻōʻō
extinct species of Moho songbird
The Kauaʻi ʻōʻō () or ʻōʻōʻāʻā (Moho braccatus) is an extinct species of ʻōʻō that was endemic to the Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi. It was the last species of Hawaiian honeyeater to exist; the entire family is now officially extinct. The family had originated over 15-20 million years ago during the Miocene, with the Kauaʻi ʻōʻō's extinction marking the first extinction of an entire avian family in over 500 years. The bird was common in the subtropical forests of the island until the early twentieth century, when its decline began. It was last seen in 1985, and last heard in 1987. The causes of its extinction include the introduction of predators (such as the Polynesian rat, small Indian mongoose, and the domestic pig), mosquito-borne diseases, and habitat destruction.
Etymology and taxonomy
The native Hawaiians named the bird ʻōʻō ʻāʻā, from the Hawaiian word ʻōʻō, an onomatopoeic descriptor from the sound of their mating call, and ʻāʻā, meaning dwarf. Like the other members of its family, the Kauaʻi ʻōʻō was previously regarded as a member of the Australo-Pacific honeyeaters (family Meliphagidae).
Description
This bird was among the smallest of the Hawaiian ʻōʻōs, if not the smallest species, at just over 20 centimetres (8 in) in length. The head, wings, and tail were black.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Kauaʻi ʻōʻō” as extinct species of Moho songbird. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the science & nature register because the source frames it as extinct species of Moho songbird. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 15, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q19555. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1985 and 1987.
A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
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Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
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This entry incorporates text from “Kauaʻi ʻōʻō” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.