Tinian monarch removed from endangered list

Saying that populations of the Tinian monarch have rebounded and habitat loss is no longer a threat, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed this bird yesterday from the list of endangered and threatened wildlife.

This means that this small forest bird, which is native to the island of Tinian here in the Commonwealth, would no longer enjoy the protections afforded by the Endangered Species Act.

The Tinian monarch, however, remains protected under Commonwealth laws.

The Service, in cooperation with others, said that it will continue to monitor the status of the species for at least five years.

The Tinian monarch—or “Chuchurican Tinian” in the Chamorro language—is a small, six-inch bird that is a member of the monarch flycatcher family. It has a light reddish chest and neck, olive brown back, dark brown wings and tail, white wing bars, white rump, and a white-tipped tail. Tinian monarchs forage and breed throughout the entire island in both the non-native tangan tangan forests and the native limestone forests.

“The ability of the monarch to survive and thrive despite previous changes to its habitat is a testimony to the hardiness of this unique island bird,” said David B. Allen, regional director of the Wildlife Service’s Pacific Region.

The Tinian monarch was originally listed as an endangered species on June 2, 1970, because the populations was extremely small. The primary threat to the species was habitat loss. This resulted both from forest clear-cutting prior to World War II for cattle grazing and sugarcane farming, and from extensive construction during the war. The monarch began to thrive as soon as tangan tangan forests grew back, replacing the native forests.

A survey of the monarch population in 1982 showed that approximately 37,000 birds inhabited the island, and the species was subsequently reclassified to threatened status.

A survey conducted in 1996 indicated that the population had increased to about 56,000 birds.

“Unlike many other endangered and threatened species, the Tinian monarch has managed to use non-native and native habitat to increase its population,” said Jeff Newman, acting field supervisor for the Service’s Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office. “However, the Tinian monarch is the exception to the rule. Most endangered and threatened species depend on native habitats for their survival. It is important to protect and conserve native habitat and prevent new alien species from becoming established not only on Tinian, but throughout the Pacific.”

Although some development of the island of Tinian is expected in the future, the Service said that most of the best monarch habitat native limestone forest is likely to remain because it occurs along cliff faces where development is not possible.

Large tracts of tangan tangan habitat in which the monarch also survives and reproduces quite well are leased by the U.S. military, and development on those sites is expected to be minimal, the Service said. Increased efforts to prevent the introduction of predatory brown tree snakes from Guam are underway and will help protect all bird species on Tinian.

Future monitoring of this species will be conducted to ensure that its populations do not decline to a level that threatens its long-term viability. The Service will continue current discussions with the government of Tinian to establish wildlife conservation areas.

The Service published the proposed decision to delist the species in the Federal Register on February 22, 1999. Copies of the final rule may be downloaded from the Service’s website at http://pacificislands.fws.gov. Copies are also available by calling the Service office in Honolulu at 808-792-9400.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System comprised of more than 500 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries and 78 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 governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.