Kauai ō’ō’ bird

Moho braccatus

The Kauai ‘ō’ō bird (pronounched ‘oh oh’) was declared extinct in 1973 when there were only 36 individuals left. The female of the last breeding pair was last heard in 1982, and the male was last heard in 1987. The ‘ō ‘ō calls the islands of Hawaii home, which are a unique biodiversity hotspot. Due to the introduction of invasive predators and habitat destruction, many Hawaiian birds have been driven to extinction. Possible causes for extinction include the introduction of the Polynesian rat, domestic pig and mosquitos that carry avian diseases. There was also the unfortunate addition of two hurricanes that hit within ten years of eachother, harming the old trees with cavities that the birds nested in. Dr Jim Jacobi, an ornithologist, visted Kauai in 1984 and was fortunate to see the last remaining ‘ō’ō. He recorded the different sounds of the forest, when the ‘ō ‘ō started to sing. Dr Jacobi recorded the song and when the bird flew off, he replayed the recording to check that he had captured it properly. The bird returned almost immediately, and Dr Jacobi realised that this bird was responding to a call he had not heard for a long time. Scan the QR code to hear the beautiful but heartbreaking final song of the ‘ō ‘ō bird.