 The name "iao" or "iao" was claimed to refer to a "moho"-like but smaller bird; it is not clear whether this bird was the distinctive lighter form or the extinct unnamed small rail (see below).The bird is referenced in the old Hawaiian proverb "Aohe mea nāna e hoopuhili, he moho no ka lā makani" which means roughly "nothing can blow him off course, he is like a "moho" in the wind"; it was used to indicate admiration for an undaunted or determined person (as the bird was unable to fly, it was not affected by the wind).This is not to be confused with the taxonomical name "Moho", which are the "ōō"; also from Hawaii, also extinct, but completely unrelated birds.