Poo-uli: Hawaii’s Recent Loss
Discovered in 1973, the Poo-uli disappeared by 2004. This honeycreeper sported a distinctive black face mask against brown-and-white plumage. Mosquito-borne diseases killed many Hawaiian forest birds. Feral pigs destroyed native understory plants these birds depended on. When scientists finally captured one for a breeding program, it died shortly after. The forests of Maui fell silent without their quiet calls.