Black Mamo

Rußmamo

The Rußmamo ( Drepanis funerea ), also known as Black Mamo or by the Hawaiians as Oo- nuku - umu called, is an extinct Hawaiian bird clothes.

Description

The Rußmamo reached a length of 20 cm. The plumage was generally dull black. The primaries had gray Außensäume. Beak and legs were black. The long beak was curved like a sickle. The upper beak half taller than the lower beak half. The beak of the male was longer than that of the female.

Occurrence and life

The Rußmamo was endemic in the undergrowth and tree in the middle regions of the rainforests on Molokai. He never flew higher than three feet above the ground. His diet consisted of nectar of the Hawaiian lobelia plants and Ohia trees. He was a curious and trusting bird. Through its breeding biology, little is known except that he built his nests in the undergrowth, where the ground was soft and muddy.

Extinction

Even at its discovery in 1893 by Robert Cyril Layton Perkins of Rußmamo was described as very rare. In June 1907, the ornithologist William Alanson Bryan collected the last three copies. Possible reasons for its extinction were the destruction of the undergrowth vegetation by deer and cattle as well as the feeding of eggs and nestlings by introduced mongooses and rats.