WatchList Species Account for Oloma’o (Myadestes lanaiensis)

Qualifies for the list as a Red List Species

The Oloma’o, endemic to Maui, Lanai and Molokai, has apparently become extinct on the first two islands and has not been seen on the last since an unconfirmed record in 1988, despite continuing survey work. However since one remote plateau on Molokai has not been resurveyed recently, there is at least a chance that the bird still exists. Though extinct on Maui before ornithologists began studies in the archipelago, it was reported to be common and ubiquitous on Lanai and Molokai in the late 19th Century. Its decline and probable disappearance is attributed to the same causes that have decimated other Hawaiian passerines, that is, introduced avian diseases and habitat destruction.