Melamprosops phaeosoma

The po'ouli (Melamprosops phaeosoma) is an extinct species of passerine bird endemic to the Hawaiian archipelago. It is the only species in the genus Melamprosops. The vernacular name, poʻouli, means 'black head' and refers to his characteristic mark, a black mask. Since 2004, no living specimens have been observed and since 2019 the species is considered extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Po'o-uli was discovered in 1973 on the northeastern slopes of Haleakala on the island of Maui. It fed mainly on snails, insects, and spiders and nested in the endemic 'ohi'a forests.

The abrupt population decline is believed to have been due to several factors including habitat loss, new mosquito-borne diseases, new predators (pigs, rats, cats and mongooses) as well as the decline of snails. native trees on which the po'ouli based their diet.

In 2002, a female was captured and taken to an area where a male was located in an attempt to breed them. However, the female returned to her own nest, a mile and a half away, the next day. For April 2004, an expedition was planned to capture the three remaining birds to take them to a conservation center on the island and attempt their reproduction.

On September 9, 2004, a male po'o-uli was captured and brought to the Maui Bird Conservation Center in Olinda, in an attempt to achieve captive breeding. However, biologists failed to find a companion before it died of avian malaria on November 28, 2004. Biologists are now searching for the two remaining birds, which have not been sighted in more than a year. A po'ouli chick has not hatched in years. Tissue samples have been preserved for possible future cloning, which is the only possible hope for the species, a vague hope since there would be no birds to teach the clones behavior in their natural habitat.