Mamo (Hawaiʻi mamo / Black mamo)

The name "mamo" as documented in the supplied sources refers to two species of Hawaiian nectarivorous finch in the genus Drepanis. The Hawaiian name may be related to the name of the ʻōʻō (Moho nobilis), a bird with similar appearance; an alternate Hawaiian name noted in the sources is ʻōʻō-nuku-umu, meaning "ʻōʻō with the sucking beak." Both mamo species were endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, and both are recorded as having gone extinct by the early 20th century (Hawaiʻi mamo last seen 1899 near Kaūmana; black mamo last observed 1907 on Molokaʻi). The bright golden-yellow feathers of the Hawaiʻi mamo were prized in traditional Hawaiian featherwork worn by aliʻi (Hawaiian royalty), and historical cloak construction reportedly used enormous numbers of mamo feathers.

Descriptions in the sources pertain to the birds: the Hawaiʻi mamo (Drepanis pacifica) measured about 23 cm (9 in) in length, with glossy black plumage, yellow rumps and thigh feathers, a small yellow shoulder patch, a black decurved bill, a black tail, and white basal primary patches with white shafts along the primaries. The black mamo (Drepanis funerea) measured about 20 cm (8 in), was largely black except for white primary shafts on the wings, had a more sharply decurved bill with a small yellowish spot near the base (operculum), and when feeding often had a pollen-dusted (appearing pale) forehead.

Ecological behaviors recorded for the species include specialized nectar feeding: both species fed on nectar of Lobelia species (with the Hawaiʻi mamo feeding predominantly in the canopy and the black mamo feeding at lower levels), and the black mamo also fed on ʻōhiʻa lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha). Vocalizations noted are a long plaintive whistle for the Hawaiʻi mamo and a clear flute-like whistle plus a five- or six-note rollicking whistle for the black mamo. Observed temperaments differed: the Hawaiʻi mamo was described as shy, while the black mamo was described as comparatively curious and would sometimes approach observers.