Drepanis funerea
The Black Mamo (Drepanis funerea) was an extraordinary and now extinct species of Hawaiian honeycreeper, endemic to the island of Molokai. Measuring approximately 20 cm (7.9 in) in length, this passerine was striking for its uniformly glossy black plumage, which absorbed nearly all light. Its most distinctive feature was an exceptionally long, deeply decurved, sickle-shaped bill, perfectly adapted for probing into the tubular flowers of native lobelioids. This unique bill, along with its yell...
This highly specialized honeycreeper inhabited the wet montane forests of eastern Molokai, primarily at higher elevations where native lobelioid plants thrived.
The primary diet of the Black Mamo consisted of nectar, specifically from the long, curved flowers of native Hawaiian lobelioids, such as those in the genera Clermontia and Cyanea. It also supplemented its diet with insects.
Observations of the Black Mamo were tragically limited due to its rapid decline, but insights can be drawn from related species and historical accounts. It was likely diurnal, spending its days methodically foraging for nectar and insects. Its extraordinarily curved bill was a prime example of co...
The Black Mamo was strictly endemic to the island of Molokai within the Hawaiian Islands. Its historical range was confined to the wet montane forests primarily in the eastern part of the island, typically occurring at higher elevations where its specialized food sources, the native lobelioid pla...
Extinct
- The Black Mamo was only scientifically discovered in 1893 by ornithologist Robert C.L. Perkins. - Despite being discovered in 1893, the last confirmed sighting of a live Black Mamo was in 1907, just 14 years later. - Its common name 'Mamo' is shared with the Hawaiian Mamo (Drepanis pacifica), b...