The Hawaiʻi ʻōʻō 🌺 Extinct 1934

The Kauaʻi ʻōʻō or ʻōʻōʻāʻā was the last member of the ʻōʻō genus within the Mohoidae family of birds from the islands of Hawaiʻi. The entire family is now extinct. It was previously regarded as a member of the Australo-Pacific honeyeaters. The bird was endemic to the island of Kauaʻi. 

Now I'm thinking about the story of the last call of the Kauaʻi ʻōʻō -- this bird from Hawaiʻi that has since gone extinct.

There's recordings of it's call, singing in the hopes of finding a mate, but it received no response.

... But he received no response from the young empyrean.

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:

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.

An Oʻahu ʻōʻō (above) and a kioea (below) depicted by Dutch illustrator J. G. Keulemans. Both birds were native to Hawaiʻi and went extinct within only a few decades of each other during the 19th century. [ x ]

The Hawaiʻi ʻōʻō 

 The black marker held up pretty well but isn't as dark/consistent as ink, so probably won't do that again.

Poliahu

"Wai maka o Poliahu I ka ʻeha a ke aloha Kaumaha i ka haʻalele O ʻAiwohi kupua

Anuanu ka ʻiu kēhau O Mauna Kea Aʻohe ana ipo aloha E hoʻo pumehana

Kau mai ka haliʻa aloha O ka wa mamua Puolu ka wai o Nohi Kuʻu mehameha

He lei ko aloha No kuʻu kino Pili poli hemoʻole No na kau akau

E hoʻi mai e hoʻi mai E kuʻu ipo E hoʻi mai e hoʻi mai E pili kāuaE hoʻi mai e hoʻi mai ʻoe E hoʻi mai ʻoe ē, ē E hoʻi mai ʻoe"

(Tears of the snow goddess and the pains of love Saddened by separation of Aiwohi, the demi-god. Cold the sacred dew of Mauna Kea and no one to love, to warm, to enact memories of love. Of times gone by. Refresh the water of Nohi and my loneliness Your wreath of love for my body and bosom tied closed, put in place forever. Come back to me my sweetheart. Come back to me as we embrace. Come back to me. Come back to me. Come back to me)

Aiwohikupua, chief of Wailua, Kauaʻi, was originally from Kahiki and vowed never to marry a Hawaiian woman. He heard of the beauty of Lāʻieikawai and set out to find the beautiful mortal and propose to her.

He stopped at the harbor of Haneoʻo in the Hāna district of Maui and met Hinaikamalama, the chiefess of Hana. He was invited to join the surfers and was smitten with Hinaikamalama. She, in turn, fell in love with him. Mindful of his quest and remembering his vow, he declared that he would not give himself to any woman until he traveled to the island of Hawaiʻi. He promised to return for Hinaikamalama and asked her to remain faithful to him. 

Continuing on his journey to find Lāʻieikawai, he arrived at Paliuli with a feather cape as a gift for the beautiful woman. Amazed by her hale in Puna, thatched with the yellow feathers of the ʻōʻō bird, he was embarrassed by his gift, not equal to the roof of her hale. He left without seeing Lāʻieikawai and sailed for Kauaʻi.

Along the coast of Hāmākua, he saw a woman of extraordinary beauty reclining on a cliff. He landed, made her aquaintance, and spoke of love to the woman in a snow white draping gown. She was Poliahu, the snow goddess of Mauna Kea and also of kupua descent, like ʻAiwohi. She reminded him of his promise to marry Hinaikamalama but, if he was released from his vow, he could return and she would marry him. They exchanged capes and he continued on, avoiding Hāna and the chiefess who expected to become his wife.

When he arrived home, his sisters agreed to accompany him to Hawaiʻi to plead ʻAiwohi’s case to win the hand of Lāʻieikawai. Obsessed with her beauty, he again set sail for Hawaiʻi. Poliahu saw their canoes when they passed Kaʻelehuluhulu, Kona, and was disappointed when they did not land. ʻAiwohi and his sisters went to Paliuli and as each sister presented his case, each was rejected by the beautiful woman. Hearing of his his rejection, ʻAiwohi returned home to Kauaʻi and eventually remembered Poliahu. ʻAiwohi sent his messengers to Poliahu asking her to prepare for his return and their wedding ignoring his promise to her to relinquish his vows to Hinaikamalama. Preparations begun and ʻAiwohi promised to arrive in 4 months. On the day of Kulu, on the 4th month, the 3 mountain were covered with snow, as promised by Poliahu.

Aiwohi arrived at Waiulaula and was greeted by his bride-to-be and the other snow goddesses of the mountains, Līlīnoe, Waiau and Kahoupokane. After their marriage, the couple sailed to Kauaʻi and made their home above Honopuwai.

When Hinaikamalama learned of the wedding of her betrothed, she was enraged and went to Kauaʻi to confront her lover. The chiefs were gathered at Mānā for a celebration where Hinaikamalama accused ʻAiwohi of unfaithfulness. ʻAiwohi’s actions were then condemned. Humilated, Poliahu returned to Mauna Kea and ʻAiwohi agreed to fulfill his promise to Hinaikamalama. The night of their marriage, Poliahu sent the chill of her snow to cover them with intense cold. Whenever Hinaikamalama and Aiwohi tried to be together, Poliahu would send the intense cold of her snow. Frightened, Hinaikamalama returned to Hāna without ʻAiwohi and their marriage was never consumated.

Poliahu remains at Mauna Kea, brokenhearted.

Key:

Tahiti

House

Demigod or supernatural being

The 17th day of a month

Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, Hualālai

#Repost @milekalincoln ・・・ #LeilaniEstatesEruption #KilaueaVolcano LATEST (June 8 at 2:30 PM): Have you guys seen this incredible aerial footage yet from USGS? Clear conditions allowed them to capture unbelievable change at Puʻu ʻŌʻō. According to HVO geologists — the crater floor collapsed and the lava lake drained a little more than a month ago. Based on this overflight they were able to do yesterday, scientists say the crater now has a funnel-shape with a deeper cylindrical shaft that is filled with rubble. USGS HVO officials are carefully watching Halemaʻumaʻu today after a a small explosion occurred at the summit of Kīlauea around 2:45 this morning. According to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory: “No weather radar observations of plume heights are possible, but satellite data suggest that any plume that might have been generated did not exceed 10,000 feet above sea level. Since the small explosion, seismic activity in the summit region has been low. Inward slumping of the rim and walls of Halemaʻumaʻu continues in response to ongoing subsidence at the summit. Sulfur dioxide emissions from the volcano's summit, while lower than those recorded in early-mid May, remain high enough to impact air quality in downwind regions. Additional bursts of gas released with intermittent explosive activity are also transported downwind and may temporarily affect air quality as well.” About an hour ago, officials announced limited visibility in the Saddle Road area of Hawaiʻi Island because of high levels of vog and sulfur dioxide from the fissure system. According to the National Weather Service, vog along Saddle Road is so heavy that visibility in some areas is down to a quarter of a mile. Officials warn that residents living in the interior and southern parts of Hawaiʻi Island should expect to experience increased levels of vog throughout the rest of the day. Stay tuned to @HawaiiNewsNow for the very latest developments #HInews #HawaiiNews #HNN #HawaiiNewsNow #WeAreYourSource (Video: USGS) #mauimusic #mauimusician #mauimusicans

the all nighter’s log #4

i tried some facebook to keep myself awake for a bit hoped to find, you know, some dumb memes or posts or shit from friends

instead, i came across one of the most depressing things i’ve ever seen

I was thinking of just giving a description, but maybe linking the video is a much better option....

I just find it very... Sad. The fact that the poor thing is there, sitting on a branch, doing the routine nature made for it...

“Sing, and shall your partner come to you”

Completely unaware of the fact that said partner is never going to appear. He probably doesn’t even know that he is the only remaining member of his species.

He’s just... There, singing. He’s waiting for a female, waiting for the one who will eventually complete his lyrics...

... But she won’t ever, ever arrive...

“The Kauaʻi ʻōʻō or ʻōʻōʻāʻā (Moho braccatus) is a member of the extinct genus of the ʻōʻōs (Moho) within the extinct family Mohoidae from the islands of Hawai'i.

This bird was endemic to the island of Kauaʻi. It was common in the subtropical forests of the island until the early twentieth century, when its decline began. Its song was last heard in 1987 and it is now probably extinct.

The bird was a cavity nester in the thickly forested canyons of Kauaʻi. Many of its relatives have also become extinct, such as the Hawaiʻi ʻōʻō, Bishop's ʻōʻō, and Oʻahu ʻōʻō. Little is known about these extinct birds. The species may have become extinct from a large range of problems, including mosquito-transmitted diseases, which caused the species to retreat to higher ground. Higher elevation forests lack tree cavities, so few, if any, nests could be made. In the 1970s the only known footage of the bird was filmed by John L. Sincock on Super 8 film and several song recordings were recorded as well (with Harold Douglas Pratt, Jr. being one of the people involved in recording the songs).[3] The final blow was two hurricanes coming within ten years of each other. They destroyed many of the old trees with cavities, and prohibited tree growth when the second one arrived, causing the species to disappear. The bird was last sighted in 1985, and the last sound recording was made in 1987 by David Boynton.[4] It is still believed by some that the species may survive undetected, as the species had already been proclaimed extinct twice: once in the 1940s (later rediscovered in 1950) and again from the late 1950s to the early 1970s, being rediscovered by S. R. Sabo. However, it has a loud and distinctive call, and intensive surveys have failed to find any since 1987.”

                                                                                      - From Wikipedia