The Hawaiian Honeyeaters (Mohoidae)
26 October 2025

The Hawaiian Honeyeaters (Mohoidae)

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About

Come and hear about the only entire bird family to go extinct in recent times...


Footage of the last Kauaʻi ʻōʻō :

https://youtu.be/x2KH5AoyeBc?si=rEONFaoyUNL6Cpsm 


References:

Fleischer, R. C., Campana, M. G., & James, H. F. (2022). Hawaiian songbird radiations. Current Biology, 32(20), R1070-R1072.

Fleischer, R. C., James, H. F., & Olson, S. L. (2008). Convergent evolution of Hawaiian and Australo-Pacific honeyeaters from distant songbird ancestors. Current Biology, 18(24), 1927-1931.

Lovette, I. J. (2008). Convergent evolution: raising a family from the dead. Current Biology, 18(24), R1132-R1134.

Pender, R. J., Morden, C. W., & Paull, R. E. (2014). Investigating the pollination syndrome of the Hawaiian lobeliad genus Clermontia (Campanulaceae) using floral nectar traits. American journal of botany, 101(1), 201-205.

Schmitt, C. J., & Edwards, S. V. (2022). Passerine birds. Current Biology, 32(20), R1149-R1154.

Zhao, M., Kimball, R. T., & Braun, E. L. (2025). The phylogenetic position of the extinct Hawaiian honeyeaters: Overcoming the limitations of antique DNA. bioRxiv, 2025-06.

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