Oʻahu ʻAlauahio

Oahu Astläufer ( Paroreomyza maculata )

The Oahu Astläufer ( Paroreomyza maculata ) is an extremely rare or already extinct bird clothes.

System

The Oahu Astläufer was first described in 1850 by Jean Louis Cabanis as Himatione maculata. At the beginning of the 20th century Astläufer species of Oahu, Kauai, Hawaii, Lanai, Maui and Molokai were classified in the genus Oreomyza. Robert Cyril Layton Perkins in 1901 created the genus Paroreomyza, which was acquired by George Campbell Munro 1944. Munro classified the Oahu Astläufer than nominate Paroreomyza maculata maculata with three subspecies on Lanai, Molokai and Maui. The todays valid botanical systematics based on the work "A systematic analysis of the endemic avifauna of the Hawaiian Islands " of the ornithologist Harold Douglas Pratt from the year 1979. According to Pratt is now considered the genus Oreomystis for the types of Kauai and Hawaii and the genus Paroreomyza for the kinds of Oahu, Lanai, Molokai and Maui.

Description

The Oahu Astläufer reaches a length from 11.3 to 12.9 centimeters. The plumage of the females and the young birds is dull olive green with two broad light faded wing-bars and an eye-catching bright green eyes Streif. The plumage of the male is light olive. The yellow face is characterized by dark reins and an eye-catching Postocularstreif. The straight beak is dark brown on top and light at the bottom. In the male lacks the wing-bars.

Distribution and habitat

The Oahu Astläufer is endemic to the Hawaiian island of Oahu. It inhabits evergreen forests and mixed forests with acacia koa or Metrosideros polymorpha iron wood of the species at altitudes 300-650 m. His last known area of ​​distribution is limited to the valleys and slopes of the Koolau Mountains.

Lifestyle and food

About the lifestyle of Oahu Astläufers little is known. He is probably diurnal. In January 1901, the only two nests were found in the Waianae Range. Its diet apparently consists of molluscs and beetles.

Status

The main cause for the decline of Oahu Astläufers probably applies the entrained by mosquitoes avian malaria. A portion of the living space in the North Halawa Valley has been destroyed by the construction of the Hawaii State Route H-3. The last documented sighting was on 12 December 1985 at Poamoho trail in the Koolau Mountains, as two individuals were observed. Unconfirmed sightings in the aftermath probably based on a confusion with the Oahu Amakihi ( Hemignathus flavus ), especially since the official search has been done since the 1990s so far have been unsuccessful.