HAWAI'I MAMO

The 'Hawai'i Mamo' ('''Drepanis pacifica''') was a species of finch in the Fringillidae family. It was endemic to Hawaii. It became extinct due to habitat loss and overcollecting.
It was about 9 inches in length. Plumage was glossy black with yellow rumps and thigh feathers and a small yellow shoulder patch. The tail was black and there was a white basal primary patch and white shafts along the primaries. The bill was long, curved and black. Legs were dark gray or black
This was a shy species that lived in the forest canopy and fed on nectar of lobelia that possessed curved, tubular flowers. It's call was a long, plaintive whistle.
The bright golden-yellow feathers of the Hawai`i mamo were prized for the featherwork worn by the Hawaiian royalty. The famous yellow cloak of Kamehameha I is estimated to have taken the reigns of eight monarchs and the golden feathers of 80,000 Hawai'i Mamos before it was completed.
The Hawai'i Mamo was last seen in 1899 near Kaumana on Hawai'i by a collector, H. W. Henshaw, who, as mentioned by Tim Flannery in his book, A Gap In Nature, shot and wounded a bird he was stalking, before it escaped him with another bird.

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★ BirdLife International 2004. Drepanis pacifica. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 10 July 2007.