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Day 4 of January extinct birds - the black mamo (top, also known by other names) and the kauaʻi ʻōʻō

Two birds! The hawaiian honeyeaters are the only entire family of birds to go extinct in recent times, and the kauaʻi ʻōʻō is the last (1987) and most famous. The song of the last male was recorded two years after the last female was estimated to have died. Other members of the family have unique striking plumage that the kauaʻi ʻōʻō doesn't, which might sadly be part of why it was able to persist for longer.

I also wanted to add in the black mamo to represent the hawaiian honeycreepers (not the same as honeyeaters!). These birds are similar to darwin's finches where their crazy beak shapes went through drastic evolution. Yes, the honeycreepers are finches! While some species are classified as least concern, most of the honeycreepers are extinct or critically endangered. Hopefully the extinction of the honeyeaters encourages people to focus their attention on the honeycreepers too so they don't suffer the same fate.

sorry for such a sad post! Island birds have really suffered the last few centuries :c

Description
Day 4 of January extinct birds - the black mamo (top, also known by other names) and the kauaʻi ʻōʻō

Two birds! The hawaiian honeyeaters are the only entire family of birds to go extinct in recent times, and the kauaʻi ʻōʻō is the last (1987) and most famous. The song of the last male was recorded two years after the last female was estimated to have died. Other members of the family have unique striking plumage that the kauaʻi ʻōʻō doesn't, which might sadly be part of why it was able to persist for longer.

I also wanted to add in the black mamo to represent the hawaiian honeycreepers (not the same as honeyeaters!). These birds are similar to darwin's finches where their crazy beak shapes went through drastic evolution. Yes, the honeycreepers are finches! While some species are classified as least concern, most of the honeycreepers are extinct or critically endangered. Hopefully the extinction of the honeyeaters encourages people to focus their attention on the honeycreepers too so they don't suffer the same fate.

sorry for such a sad post! Island birds have really suffered the last few centuries :c