Omao Life History

Habitat

Omao occur mainly in wet native forest above 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) elevation on the island of Hawaii. Typical habitat is dominated by ohia or a mix of ohia and koa trees with a closed canopy 25–40 meters (80–130 feet) high and with an understory of fruiting trees. This species also occurs in forest dominated by tree ferns and shorter ohia trees. A small population resides in treeless alpine scrub above 2,000 meters (6,600 feet) on Mauna Loa.

Food

Omao feed mainly on fruit, taking berries from both native and non-native shrubs and trees. They also eat spiders and insects—especially caterpillars—and flower parts. They pick arthropods from foliage, trunks, and branches, and also make short flights to catch flying insects.

Nesting

Nest Placement

Placed in tree ferns, natural cavities, ledges, or forks in ohia, koa, and naio trees.

Nest Description

A loose, bulky cup built with ferns, mosses, leaves, rootlets, and small twigs, and lined with loosely woven grasses or rootlets.

Nesting Facts

Behavior

Omao sit quietly on perches for long periods, making them difficult to detect at times. They are also quite vocal, with both sexes delivering loud songs and calls year-round. Omao are socially monogamous and pairs remain together throughout the year. The female alone builds the nest and incubates the eggs, while both adults feed nestlings and fledglings. This species occurs in family groups after nesting, but otherwise forages alone or in pairs, not joining mixed species flocks the way some other native Hawaiian forest birds do.

Conservation

The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the Omao's conservation status as Near Threatened due to its restricted range on a single island (Hawaii) where there is ongoing habitat destruction. IUCN estimates Omao’s population size at 110,000 mature individuals. It appears that Omao may have a greater tolerance to avian malaria than many other native Hawaiian bird species.

Credits

BirdLife International. 2023. Myadestes obscurus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2023: e.T22708579A224016232. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T22708579A224016232.en.

Floyd, T. (2025). Field Guide to the Birds of the United States and Canada. Eighth edition. National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.

Pratt, H. D., P. L. Bruner, and D. G. Berrett (1987). A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA.

Raine, H. and A. F. Raine (2020). American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of Hawai'i. Scott & Nix, Inc. New York, NY, USA.

Wakelee, K. M. and S. G. Fancy (2020). Omao (Myadestes obscurus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.omao.01

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