Moloka'i Thrush

One of the best singers in the native Hawaiian forest, the Moloka'i Thrush, Myadestes lanaiensis, was once commonly found on Maui, Lana'i and Moloka'i, but has now fallen onto the endangered species list. It was last seen on Lana'i in 1933 and though Moloka'i is only ten miles away, it remains protected in Moloka'i's rugged mountains of rain forest, particularly within the Nature Conservancy's Kamakou Preserve.

The Oloma'o is one of the larger forest birds, about 7.5 inches long. It is known to be somewhat drab with its brown and green feathers against a white and gray chest. The bird has not been particularly popular for feather collecting.

Principally a fruit eater, it can be seen among tree branches and fruit-bearing vines nibbling away with its short broad beak.

The Oloma'o is particularly noted for its beautiful singing in the forest. It loves to sit on the tops of trees, singing loudly at both dawn and dusk. With its small numbers, however, few of this bird's beautiful songs are still sung today.

Oloma'o is a victim of avian malaria, which is transmitted by mosquitoes. The mosquitoes hatch in standing water left in wallows dug by wild pigs, which are quite a nuisance to the preservation of Moloka'i's endangered species. In order to improve the health of any remaining Oloma'o and other native birds, the Nature Conservancy has fenced miles of native Moloka'i forest to keep pigs and therefore the mosquitoes out.

Cousins of the Moloka'i thrush include the Kaua'i Thrush, called Kama'o in Hawaiian (its scientific name is Myadestes myadestinus). Kama'o is found in the Alaka'i Forest and also elsewhere on Kaua'i. Also related is the Townsend's Solitaire (Myadestes townsendi) and other members of the solitaire family in both North and South America.

The Oloma'o is one of more than 65 native Hawaiian land birds believed to have been in existence in 19th Century. 26 of those species are now extinct, and another 26 are endangered.

For more information on native Hawaiian birds and the Moloka'i program, call the Nature Conservancy at 808-572-7849.

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