A final plan identifying actions needed to recover the endangered Rota bridled white-eye, known as nosa Luta in the Chamorro language, was released today by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The nosa Luta exists only on the of Rota in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
"Native birds in the Pacific have suffered under the direct and indirect influences of man. We have learned from the extreme example in neighboring Guam, where almost all native birdlife has been decimated by brown treesnakes and other factors, that native bird species can be wiped out in a relatively short period of time. This plan provides a detailed process that will allow the Service and its many partners to take action and protect the Rota bridled white-eye from extinction," said Patrick Leonard, field supervisor for the Fish and Wildlife Service in the Pacific Islands.
Since 1982, the nosa Luta population has declined by 90 percent from about 10,000 individuals to less than 1,100. The nosa Luta also has a highly restricted core range of approximately 630 acres of forest above 490 feet elevation in the Sabana region of Rota. Current information indicates that the degradation or loss of habitat due to land clearing, fires, and naturally occurring events such as typhoons, and predation by introduced rats and black drongos (a bird species from Taiwan) are having some impact on the nosa Luta population. Also, due to the species highly restricted range and small population size, it is susceptible to random catastrophic events like typhoons, the accidental introduction of new predators like the brown treesnake, and avian diseases such as West Nile virus.
The primary goals of the recovery plan, including reversing population declines and increasing the population to 1982 levels, will be obtained by reducing the decline of intact nosa Luta habitat and increasing the amount of habitat available through forest restoration; assessing the impacts of the black drongo and introduced rats on the nosa Luta population and controlling these predators as needed; preventing the brown treesnake and other threats such as West Nile virus from becoming established on Rota to prevent further declines in the nosa Luta population; evaluating the need for establishing a second population of nosa Luta; and establishing an outreach program to increase public support for the conservation of the nosa Luta.
The Rota bridled white-eye is a small (approximately 4 inches in size) yellowish bird with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. Average weight of the bird is about one-third of an ounce. The species feeds primarily on insects and often is found in small flocks of five to seven birds. Related species include the Guam bridled white-eye, which is believed to be extinct, and the Saipan bridled white-eye, which is relatively abundant on Saipan, Tinian, and Aguiguan.
Availability of the recovery plan was announced in todays Federal Register. Copies of the recovery plan are available through the Fish and Wildlife Services website at http://www.fws.gov/pacificislands/ or by calling the Fish and Wildlife Services Honolulu office at (808) 792-9400.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 97-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 548 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
