19-426: † Moho † Chaetoptila Chaetoptila: 3 Mohoidae, also known as the Hawaiian honeyeaters , was a family of Hawaiian species of now recently extinct , nectarivorous songbirds in the genera Moho (ʻōʻō) and Chaetoptila (kioea). These now extinct birds form their own family, representing the only complete extinction of an entire avian family in modern times, when the disputed family Turnagridae
38-534: A family, Mohoidae, for these two extinct genera. Phylogenetic evidence from a 2019 taxonomic study supports the Mohoidae having an early Miocene origin, having originated 15-20 million years ago, and being the sister group to the family Hypocoliidae , which contains only the grey hypocolius ( Hypocolius ampelinus ), with the clade containing Mohoidae and Hypocoliidae being sister to the hylocitrea of Hylocitreidae , which diverged from them slightly earlier in
57-520: A mover, with the diminutive suffix -illa . He then combined this " cilla" with the Latin bombyx , meaning silk. Waxwings are characterised by soft silky plumage. They have unique red tips to some of the wing feathers where the shafts extend beyond the barbs; in the Bohemian and cedar waxwings , these tips look like sealing wax, and give the group its common name. The legs are short and strong, and
76-462: A species are known from Maui and known in literature as the Maui ʻōʻō, Moho sp .): Waxwing The waxwings are three species of passerine birds classified in the genus Bombycilla . They are pinkish-brown and pale grey with distinctive smooth plumage in which many body feathers are not individually visible, a black and white eyestripe, a crest, a square-cut tail and pointed wings. Some of
95-400: Is a fruit). After this they may copulate. Many pairs may nest close together in places with good food supplies, and a pair does not defend a territory—perhaps the reason waxwings have no true song —but a bird may attack intruders, perhaps to guard its mate. Both birds gather nest materials, but the female does most of the construction, usually on a horizontal limb or in a crotch well away from
114-493: Is fruit, which they eat from early summer ( strawberries , mulberries , and serviceberries ) through late summer and fall ( raspberries , blackberries , cherries , and honeysuckle berries) into late fall and winter ( juniper berries, grapes , crabapples , mountain-ash fruits, rose hips, cotoneaster fruits, dogwood berries, and mistletoe berries). They pluck fruit from a perch or occasionally while hovering. In spring they replace fruit with sap, buds, and flowers. In
133-475: Is regarded as invalid. The last surviving species in the family, the Kauai O'o ( Moho braccatus ), became extinct after 1987. Until recently, these birds were thought to belong to the family Meliphagidae ( honeyeaters ) due to their very similar appearance and behavior, including many morphological details. However, a 2008 study argued, on the basis of a phylogenetic analysis of DNA from museum specimens, that
152-602: The Hawaiian honeyeaters ( Mohoidae ). There are three species: the Bohemian waxwing ( B. garrulus ), the Japanese waxwing ( B. japonica ) and the cedar waxwing ( B. cedrorum ). Waxwings are not long-distance migrants, but move nomadically outside the breeding season. Waxwings mostly feed on fruit, but at times of year when fruits are unavailable they feed on sap, buds, flowers and insects. They catch insects by gleaning through foliage or in mid-air. They often nest near water,
171-664: The Miocene. This makes them much older than the other major radiation of endemic Hawaiian birds, the Hawaiian honeycreepers (a clade within Fringillidae ), which originated much later in the Miocene, around 7 million years ago. Family: Mohoidae Moho (genus) See text Moho is a genus of extinct birds in the Hawaiian bird family, Mohoidae , that were endemic to the Hawaiian Islands . Members of
190-476: The breeding season and move south from their summer range in winter. In poor berry years huge numbers can irrupt well beyond their normal range, often in flocks that on occasion number in the thousands. A flock arrived in rural Derbyshire, England during January 2024, feeding on berries. Some authorities (including the Sibley-Monroe checklist) place some other genera in the family Bombycillidae along with
209-611: The female building a loose nest at the fork of a branch, well away from the trunk of the tree. She also incubates the eggs, the male bringing her food to the nest, and both sexes help rear the young. Waxwings appear in art and have been mentioned in literature. Bombycilla , the genus name, is Vieillot 's attempt at Latin for "silktail", translating the German name Seidenschwänze . Vieillot analyzed motacilla , Latin for wagtail , as mota for "move" and cilla , which he thought meant "tail"; however, Motacilla actually combines motacis ,
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#1732782493149228-516: The genera Moho and Chaetoptila do not belong to the Meliphagidae but instead belong to a group that includes the waxwings and the palmchat ; they appear especially close to the silky-flycatchers . The authors proposed a family, Mohoidae, for these two extinct genera. The album O'o by jazz composer John Zorn , released in 2009, is named after these birds. The following species belong to this genus (in addition, subfossil remains of
247-476: The genera Moho and Chaetoptila are not even closely related to the Meliphagidae but instead belong to a group within the Passerida that includes the waxwings and the palmchat ; they appear especially close to the silky-flycatchers . Hawaiian honeyeaters did not evolve from the similar looking Australasian honeyeaters, but instead represent a striking case of convergent evolution . The authors proposed
266-498: The genus are known as ʻōʻō in the Hawaiian language . Their plumage was generally striking glossy black; some species had yellowish axillary tufts and other black outer feathers . Most of these species became extinct by habitat loss, the introduction of mammalian predators (like rats, pigs, and mongooses), and by extensive hunting (their plumage was used for the creation of precious ʻaʻahu aliʻi (robes) and ʻahu ʻula (capes) for aliʻi (Hawaiian nobility ). The Kauaʻi ʻōʻō
285-407: The tree trunk, at any height. She makes a loose, bulky nest of twigs, grass, and lichen , which she lines with fine grass, moss, and pine needles and may camouflage with dangling pieces of grass, flowers, lichen, and moss. The female incubates, fed by the male on the nest, but once the eggs hatch, both birds feed the young. They are not true long-distance migrants , but wander erratically outside
304-470: The warmer part of the year they catch many insects by gleaning or in midair , and often nest near water where flying insects are abundant. Waxwings also choose nest sites in places with rich supplies of fruit and breed late in the year to take advantage of summer ripening. However, they may start courting as early as the winter. Pairing includes a ritual in which mates pass a fruit or small inedible object back and forth several times until one eats it (if it
323-474: The wing feathers have red tips, the resemblance of which to sealing wax gives these birds their common name. According to most authorities, this is the only genus placed in the family Bombycillidae , although sometimes the family is extended to include related taxa that are more usually included in separate families: silky flycatchers ( Ptiliogonatidae (e.g. Phainoptila )), Hypocolius ( Hypocoliidae ), Hylocitrea ( Hylocitreidae ), palmchats ( Dulidae ) and
342-509: The wings are pointed. The male and female have the same plumage. All three species have mainly brown plumage, a black line through the eye and black under the chin, a square-ended tail with a red or yellow tip, and a pointed crest. The bill, eyes, and feet are dark. The adults moult between August and November, but may suspend their moult and continue after migration. Calls are high-pitched, buzzing or trilling monosyllables. These are arboreal birds that breed in northern forests. Their main food
361-406: Was the last species of this genus to become extinct, likely a victim of avian malaria . Until recently, the birds in this genus were thought to belong to the family Meliphagidae ( honeyeaters ) because they looked and acted so similar to members of that family, including many morphological details. A 2008 study argued, on the basis of a phylogenetic analysis of DNA from museum specimens, that
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