Mohoidae, also known as the Hawaiian honeyeaters, is a family of Hawaiian species of now recently extinct, nectarivorous songbirds in the genera Moho (ōō) and Chaetoptila (kioea). These now extinct birds form their own family, representing the only complete extinction of an entire avian family in modern times, when the disputed family Turnagridae is regarded as invalid. The last surviving species in the family, the Kauaʻi ʻōʻō (Moho braccatus), became extinct after 1987.
Mohoidae, also known as the Hawaiian honeyeaters, is a family of Hawaiian species of now recently extinct, nectarivorous songbirds in the genera Moho (ōō) and Chaetoptila (kioea). These now extinct birds form their own family, representing the only complete extinction of an entire avian family in modern times, when the disputed family Turnagridae is regarded as invalid. The last surviving species in the family, the Kauaʻi ʻōʻō (Moho braccatus), became extinct after 1987.
== Taxonomy == Until recently, these birds were thought to belong to the family Meliphagidae (honeyeaters) due to their very similar appearance and behavior, including many morphological details. However, a 2008 study argued, on the basis of a phylogenetic analysis of DNA from museum specimens, that the genera Moho and Chaetoptila are not even closely related to the Meliphagidae but instead belong to a group within the Passerida that includes the waxwings and the palmchat; they appear especially close to the silky-flycatchers. Hawaiian honeyeaters did not evolve from the similar looking Australasian honeyeaters, but instead represent a striking case of convergent evolution. The authors proposed a family, Mohoidae, for these two extinct genera.
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