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Mamo


Mamo or hoohoo is a common name for two species of extinct birds. Together with the extant ʻIʻiwi they make up the genus Drepanis. These nectarivorous finches were endemic to Hawaii but are now extinct.

The Hawaiian name may be related to the name of the ʻōʻō (Moho nobilis), a bird with a similar appearance. Another name for the mamo was ʻōʻō-nuku-umu, meaning "ʻōʻō with the sucking beak".

Two species are known.

The Hawaiʻi mamo (Drepanis pacifica) was about 9 in (23 cm) in length. Its plumage was glossy black with yellow rumps and thigh feathers 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 possess curved, tubular flowers. Its call was a long, plaintive whistle.

The bright golden-yellow feathers of the Hawaiʻi mamo were prized for the featherwork worn by the aliʻi (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 Hawaiʻi mamos before it was completed.


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