Bishop's O`o is endemic to the islands of Molokai and Maui and was thought to be extinct until a sighting on Haleakala was reported in 1981 (Sabo, S.R., 1982, `Elepaio 42: 69-70. Until confirmation of the sighting can be made, the species is kept on this list.
It was originally observed by R.C.L. Perkins in the 1890s feeding on nectar from lobelias, but it would also feed from ohia blossoms if lobelias were absent.