Scaly-necked moss [1] [2] ( Latin Moho braccatus ) [3] is an extinct songbird species of the Hawaiian honey- sucker family, endemic to the island of Kauai . It was previously considered as a representative of the Australasian Pacific honey suckers ( Meliphagidae ) [4] . Scale-necked moss was common in the subtropical forests of the island until the beginning of the 20th century , when its decline began. His song was last heard in 1987, after which he was declared an extinct species. The main causes of extinction were introduced introduced species, such as black rats , domestic pigs , avian diseases carried by mosquitoes ( avian malaria (pathogen Plasmodium relictum ) and smallpox ( Poxvirus avium )), as well as habitat destruction.
| † Scaleheaded Moss |
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| Scientific classification |
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| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
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| International scientific name |
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Moho braccatus
( Cassin , 1855 ) |
| Security status |
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Extinct speciesIUCN 3.1 Extinct : 22704323 |
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Content
This bird was one of the smallest in the family of Hawaiian honey carriers . She was a little over 20 centimeters (7.9 inches) long. She had a black or shiny dark brown color, a rare yellow plumage at the thigh , and also faint white stripes at the chest and under the wings . She was the only member of the genus moss , who had eyes with a yellow iris . The name of the bird was given by the locals, in the language of which it meant "dwarf moss." Like other honey pumps, this bird had a sharp, slightly curved beak to collect nectar . The bird nested mainly in the dense forest gorges of the island of Kauai .
The main food source was lobelia nectar and ohia lehua tree, as well as small invertebrates and fruits .
Little is known about the extinction of this species. Perhaps he died out due to imported diseases that forced the bird to retreat to the highlands of the island. In the alpine forests there was not enough hollow trees. There were so few of them that there was barely enough space to build a nest . The final blow to the scaled-throated moss was dealt by two hurricanes that came one after another to the island for ten years. They destroyed many old hollow trees, which was the reason for the rapid extinction of the species. The bird was last seen in 1985, and in 1987, recorded her voice [5] . Scale-necked moss may have survived undetected, as it was declared extinct twice. Once in 1940 (later, in 1950, a re-discovery was made), the second - in the late 1950s (in the early 1970s, the ornithologist Szabo made another re-discovery). Although she had a loud voice, she has not been able to find since 1987. Scaly-necked moss was the last species of the Hawaiian honey sucker family (the remaining species - yellow - eared moss , noble moss , moho-oahu and kioea - became extinct even earlier).
- ↑ Boehme R. L. , Flint V. E. The Bilingual Dictionary of Animal Names. Birds. Latin, Russian, English, German, French / Ed. ed. Acad. V. E. Sokolova . - M .: Rus. lang., "RUSSO", 1994. - S. 463. - 2030 copies. - ISBN 5-200-00643-0 .
- ↑ Vinokurov A.A. Rare and endangered animals. Birds: Ref. allowance / ed. V. E. Sokolova . - M .: Higher school, 1992. - S. 70. - 446 p. : ill. - 100,000 copies. - ISBN 5-06-002116-5 .
- ↑ Moho braccatus ( BirdLife International , 2004 ) . The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . Date of treatment May 11, 2006.
- ↑ Fleischer RC, James HF, Olson SL Convergent Evolution of Hawaiian and Australo-Pacific Honeyeaters from Distant Songbird Ancestors (English) // Current Biology: journal. - 2008 .-- 11 December ( vol. 18 , iss. 24, 1927-1931 ).
- ↑ Kauai Oo Moho braccatus ( unopened ) (inaccessible link) . Birdlife International. Date of treatment January 24, 2010. Archived on October 6, 2014.
