Paroreomyza maculata
The Oahu Alauahio (*Paroreomyza maculata*) was a small, active Hawaiian honeycreeper, a tragic emblem of insular extinction. Measuring approximately 11 cm (4.3 inches) and weighing around 11 grams, this bird sported a delicate plumage of greenish-yellow, brighter on its throat and breast, gradually deepening to a greener hue on its back and wings. A faint dusky mask across its lores distinguished its otherwise plain yellowish head, complemented by a short, slightly decurved dark bill and dark...
This species historically inhabited wet, montane native forests dominated by `ōhi`a (*Metrosideros polymorpha*) and koa (*Acacia koa*), typically at mid to high elevations (above 300 meters) on Oahu.
Primarily arboreal insects and spiders gleaned from bark and foliage, supplemented with nectar from `ōhi`a flowers.
The Oahu Alauahio was an active, diurnal bird, constantly flitting through the native forest canopy and subcanopy. Its primary foraging strategy involved agile gleaning, using its slender, slightly decurved bill to meticulously probe bark crevices, epiphyte clusters, and the undersides of leaves ...
The Oahu Alauahio (*Paroreomyza maculata*) was strictly endemic to the island of Oahu within the Hawaiian archipelago. Historically, it was widely distributed across the island's wet, montane native forests, particularly within the higher elevations of both the Koolau and Waianae mountain ranges....
Extinct
- The Oahu Alauahio was one of the most recent Hawaiian honeycreeper extinctions, with its last confirmed sighting occurring in 1985. - It was an integral part of the spectacular adaptive radiation of Hawaiian honeycreepers, a group known for evolving diverse forms from a single ancestral finch. ...