O'o: The Last Voice of Kauai - Animated Short Film 2022

"That's the last male of the species, singing for a female who will never come. He's totally alone. And now, his voice is gone."

The saddest part about hearing this bird's song is that it's supposed to be a duet. There are pauses in the song where a female is supposed to respond. This bird is singing half a song, waiting for someone to complete it but there was no one left who could :(

Depressing facts about the last years of this species: -The last female and male pair of birds in this species were found and kept preserved on an island. However, two typhoons ravaged the island later on, killing the female. -The last recording of the male’s mating call was in 1987. -After the recording finished, the guy who recorded it replayed it after the male flew off to listen to it. Apparently, the male then flew back, thinking that the recording of his own call was a female. -When that last male died we not only lost this species, we lost an entire family of birds. This species was the last of its family of birds, meaning it couldnt even find any mates that looked even remotely like it, it was a mere remnant of its kind.

I wrote an 8 page essay and a 15 minute speech about this bird for my Environmental Science class this semester, spent 2 whole months researching the Kaua’i ō’ō’, I gave the speech earlier today and it got my professor and a good chunk of the class crying. Once I got home I finally decided to check this video out and I cried my fucking eyes out. Millions of years of this beautiful creature existing alongside us and it only left 35 years ago. Something I still can’t believe. Just shows how much we have to cherish the animals that live alongside us.

Singing for a female who doesn't respond and literally alone really breaks my heart.

Such a beautiful voice that won’t ever be sung again in nature.

“Hello? Anyone? I don’t want to be alone…” The Kauai O’o was an amazing bird, with a haunting yet beautiful call, and a terrible fate. Hopefully all those birds can sing their songs in heaven, where we can’t hurt them any more. There isn’t even much of a chance to revive them, as the Kauai O’o was the last of its family Mohoidae, meaning there are no close relatives at all to the Kuaui O’o. They are all gone. Mosquito and rat borne disease killed their populations, forcing them into the mountains. Human deforestation cause them to lose their homes. And from our mistakes, the Kauai O’os have joined the list of 900+ species that have been declared extinct. Never again will the world hear the wondrous song of the Kauai O’o, and we have lost so much for it. Let this terrible loss be a lesson, that you cannot replace what isn’t there, that extinction is a permanent; a fate no creature should be forced to. The Kauai O’o’s call is a duet, with pauses where another bird should respond. But now, it’s a song sung to a lost kind. A song that will never be whole again.

This is the most saddest life of that male bird. He didn't even know that he was the last of his species. Which is why the future Hawaiian flag has the Kauai O'O bird on it.

Such a beautiful bird. Its haunting song did not deserve to be silenced for lifetimes to come.

The last part was heartbreaking, singing trying to survive, and finally flying against the world (the one dominated by man), trying to "escape" the list of extinct species, to finally lose the battle and get caught by this "new world", disappearing in the flow of time... forever.

So sad 💔 just imagine being alone and nobody else with you and you start yelling and yelling and nobody responds because you are the only one left 💔💔

frick... just had to have a "reflection confused for another bird" scene didn't they?! this film was really really well done. left me bawling, so good job.

As a former Kauai resident, I always used to imagine the now extinct flora and fauna that used to thrive on the island when I was out in nature. The Hawaiian islands are incredible now but 1,000 years ago they must’ve been absolutely mind boggling.

It’s weird to think that kauai birds only really went extinct due to the introduction of mosquitos and rats. The mosquitos carried diseases which quickly killed of much of the population, forcing them higher and higher up the mountains (this is still a huge problem with extant Hawaiian species, they are forced further up the mountains each year where the mosquitos can’t survive, but warming of the climate is allowing the mosquitos further up the mountain). It just shows how dangerous mosquitos can be, to humans and to many other animals

RIP Kauai O’o, you will forever be remembered

I genuinely believe that Charles Darwin would mourn this bird loss upon its death.

The last Kawaii o'o was the last of a species that was also the last of its taxonomic family Mohoidae, a grouping of species that split off 15-20 million years ago from their nearest living relatives. For instance, all Swallows and Martins make up one family that is about 22 million years old. Crows, Ravens, and Jays also make up one family that is about 17 million years old. The loss of biodiversity from the death of this o'o bird was greater than if all crows went extinct and if we were only left with blue jays in their stead.

Beautiful animation, it shows how all that humans brought to Kaua'i was pestilence, death and destruction. I hope that people will realize how many amazing animals we are killing and start to care for this beautiful Earth.

3:10 The way he was fighting for his life and the fossils are in heaven watching him 😢

this bird always makes me cry and it's now an animation :'( extinction is the worst I love this piece so much