Mamo
Encyclopedia
A mamo or hoohoo is a bird
of the genus Drepanis. These nectarivorous
finch
es were endemic to Hawaii
but are now extinct.
The Hawaiian
name may be related to the name of the ōō (Moho nobilis), a bird with a similar appearance. Another name for the mamo was ōō-nuku-umu, meaning "ōō with the sucking beak".
Two species
are known.
s and a small yellow shoulder patch. The tail was black and there was a white basal primary patch and white shafts along the primaries. The bill
was long, curved and black. Legs were dark gray or black
This was a shy species that lived in the forest
canopy and fed
on the nectar of Lobelia species that possessed curved, tubular flower
s. Its call was a long, plaintive whistle
.
The bright golden-yellow feathers of the Hawaii Mamo were prized for the featherwork
worn by the alii
(Hawaiian royalty). The famous yellow cloak
of Kamehameha I
is estimated to have taken the reigns of eight monarchs and the golden feathers of 80,000 Hawaii Mamos before it was completed.
The Hawaii Mamo was last seen in 1899 near Kaūmana by a collector, H. W. Henshaw, who, as mentioned by Tim Flannery
in his book, A Gap In Nature, shot and wounded a bird he was stalking, before it escaped him with another bird.
).
When the bird fed the forehead would often become covered in pollen
, making the forehead appear pale. The species fed on nectar from the flowers of Lobelia species and ōhia lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha
) at lower levels than the Hawaii Mamo. The bird was apparently curious and would approach observers. Its call was a clear flute
-like whistle and a five or six note rollicking whistle.
The Black Mamo was endemic to Molokai
and was last observed in 1907 by a collector, one Alanson Bryan, who had shot three birds. Tim Flannery quoted him as having written, "To my joy I found the mangled remains hanging in the tree in a thick bunch of leaves, six feet or more beyond where it had been sitting."
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
of the genus Drepanis. These nectarivorous
Nectarivore
In zoology, nectarivore is an animal which eats the sugar-rich nectar produced by flowering plants. Most nectarivores are insects or birds, but there are also nectarivorous mammals, notably several species of bats in the Southwestern United States and Mexico, as well as the Australian Honey Possum...
finch
Finch
The true finches are passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. They are predominantly seed-eating songbirds. Most are native to the Northern Hemisphere, but one subfamily is endemic to the Neotropics, one to the Hawaiian Islands, and one subfamily – monotypic at genus level – is found...
es were endemic to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
but are now extinct.
The Hawaiian
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
name may be related to the name of the ōō (Moho nobilis), a bird with a similar appearance. Another name for the mamo was ōō-nuku-umu, meaning "ōō with the sucking beak".
Two species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
are known.
Hawaii Mamo
The Hawaii Mamo (D. pacifica) was about 9 in (22.9 cm) in length. Plumage was glossy black with yellow rumps and thigh featherFeather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
s and a small yellow shoulder patch. The tail was black and there was a white basal primary patch and white shafts along the primaries. The bill
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
was long, curved and black. Legs were dark gray or black
This was a shy species that lived in the forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
canopy and fed
Nectarivore
In zoology, nectarivore is an animal which eats the sugar-rich nectar produced by flowering plants. Most nectarivores are insects or birds, but there are also nectarivorous mammals, notably several species of bats in the Southwestern United States and Mexico, as well as the Australian Honey Possum...
on the nectar of Lobelia species that possessed curved, tubular flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s. Its call was a long, plaintive whistle
Whistle
A whistle or call is a simple aerophone, an instrument which produces sound from a stream of forced air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means...
.
The bright golden-yellow feathers of the Hawaii Mamo were prized for the featherwork
Featherwork
Featherwork is the working of feathers into a cultural artifact. This was especially elaborate among the peoples of Oceania and the Americas, such as the Incas and Aztecs....
worn by the alii
Ali'i
Alii is a word in the Polynesian language denoting chiefly status in ancient Hawaii and the Samoa Islands. A similar word with the same concept is found in other Polynesian societies. In the Cook Islands, an ariki is a high chief and the House of Ariki is a parliamentary house...
(Hawaiian royalty). The famous yellow cloak
Feather cloak
Featherwork cloaks have been used by several cultures.-Hawaii:Elaborate feather cloaks called [[ʻahuʻula]] were created by early Hawaiians for the alii .Feathers were also used in women's skirts called pāū....
of Kamehameha I
Kamehameha I
Kamehameha I , also known as Kamehameha the Great, conquered the Hawaiian Islands and formally established the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810. By developing alliances with the major Pacific colonial powers, Kamehameha preserved Hawaii's independence under his rule...
is estimated to have taken the reigns of eight monarchs and the golden feathers of 80,000 Hawaii Mamos before it was completed.
The Hawaii Mamo was last seen in 1899 near Kaūmana by a collector, H. W. Henshaw, who, as mentioned by Tim Flannery
Tim Flannery
Timothy Fridtjof Flannery is an Australian mammalogist, palaeontologist, environmentalist and global warming activist....
in his book, A Gap In Nature, shot and wounded a bird he was stalking, before it escaped him with another bird.
Black Mamo
The Black Mamo (D. funerea) was about 8 in (20.3 cm) in length and appeared similar to the Hawaii Mamo but was entirely black except for the white primary shafts on the wings. The bill was more sharply decurved than the former species and had a small yellowy spot near the base (on the operculumCère
The Cère is a long river in south-western France, left tributary of the Dordogne River. Its source is in the south-western Massif Central, near the mountain Plomb du Cantal...
).
When the bird fed the forehead would often become covered in pollen
Pollen
Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
, making the forehead appear pale. The species fed on nectar from the flowers of Lobelia species and ōhia lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha
Metrosideros polymorpha
The ōhia lehua is a species of flowering evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that is endemic to the six largest islands of Hawaii. It is a highly variable tree, being tall in favorable situations, and much smaller when growing in boggy soils or on basalt...
) at lower levels than the Hawaii Mamo. The bird was apparently curious and would approach observers. Its call was a clear flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
-like whistle and a five or six note rollicking whistle.
The Black Mamo was endemic to Molokai
Molokai
Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
and was last observed in 1907 by a collector, one Alanson Bryan, who had shot three birds. Tim Flannery quoted him as having written, "To my joy I found the mangled remains hanging in the tree in a thick bunch of leaves, six feet or more beyond where it had been sitting."