Kauai O'o (Moho braccatus)
Posted on 31 December, 1987 in Extinct
Year Last Seen:
1987
Comments:
This species was known from the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i, USA, but it is now Extinct having been last seen in 1985 with one possible recording in 1987. Habitat destruction and invasive species were the major causes.
Habitat:
It was common in forests from sea level to the highest elevations.
Causes:
Habitat destruction and the introduction of black rat Rattus rattus, pigs and disease-carrying mosquitoes to the lowlands were the probable causes of this species' extinction (Collar et al. 1994).
Distribution:
Moho braccatus was endemic to Kaua'i, Hawaii, USA. It was common in the 1890s, but declined drastically during the early 20th century (Pratt et al. 1987). By the 1970s, it was confined to the Alaka'i Wilderness Preserve (Pratt 1994). In 1981, a single pair remained, the female of which was not found after Hurricane Iwa in 1982, the male being last seen in 1985. The last possible report, of vocalisations only, was in 1987, and the species has not been recorded during subsequent surveys of Alaka'i (Conant et al. 1998, Hume 2017).