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Status of endemic reed-warblers of the Mariana Islands, with emphasis on conservation strategies for the endangered Nightingale Reed-warbler

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 January 2021

ANN P. MARSHALL Open the ORCID record for ANN P. MARSHALL [Opens in a new window] ,
FRED A. AMIDON ,
RICHARD J. CAMP ,
P. MARCOS GORRESEN  and
PAUL M. RADLEY
ANN P. MARSHALL*
Affiliation:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office, Honolulu, HI, USA.
FRED A. AMIDON
Affiliation:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office, Honolulu, HI, USA.
RICHARD J. CAMP
Affiliation:
Hawaii Cooperative Studies Unit, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hawaiʻi National Park, HI, USA. Current address: U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, Hawaiʻi National Park, HI, USA.
P. MARCOS GORRESEN
Affiliation:
Hawaii Cooperative Studies Unit, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hawaiʻi National Park, HI, USA.
PAUL M. RADLEY
Affiliation:
CNMI Division of Fish and Wildlife, Saipan, MP. Current address: Hawaii Pacific University, Honolulu, HI, USA.
*
Author for correspondence; e-mail: annie_marshall@fws.gov
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Summary

Insular species, particularly birds, experience high levels of speciation and endemism. Similarly, island birds experience extreme levels of extinction. Based on a 2012 taxonomic assessment, historically there were four reed-warbler species in the Mariana Islands, the Guam Reed-warbler Acrocephalus luscinia (Guam), the Nightingale Reed-warbler Acrocephalus hiwae (Saipan and Alamagan), the Aguijuan Reed-warbler A. nijoi (Aguiguan or Aguijuan), and the Pagan Reed-warbler A. yamashinae (Pagan). Between 2008 and 2010 we surveyed for three of these species on Alamagan, Aguiguan, and Pagan. Our results indicate that reed-warblers are extinct on Aguiguan, likely extinct on Pagan, and only the Nightingale Reed-warbler on Alamagan and Saipan remains. We estimated the global population at between 1,019 and 6,356 birds (95% CI; mean estimate 3,688), which has declined by more than 1,000 birds since the first quantitative surveys were conducted in 1982, i.e. a 24% decline in 28 years. Camp et al. (2009) describe the status of the Nightingale Reed-warbler on Saipan, which has also declined. We estimated the Alamagan population to be between 428 and 1,762 birds in 2010 (mean estimate 946). Thus, the Alamagan population is ~25 % of the global population, and it has declined slightly since 2000. This decline was not significant but is concerning, especially given a similar decline on Saipan. Restoration and protection of tall-stature native and secondary forest could benefit the Alamagan population, as would similar conservation on Saipan that includes wetland habitat. After suitable restoration of forest and wetland habitats on Aguiguan, Guam and Pagan, individuals from Alamagan and Saipan could serve as founder populations. Careful consideration of the extent and habitat preference of individuals translocated to Tinian, where an unknown reed-warbler species previously occurred, is warranted.

Keywords

AcrocephalusMariana Islandsconservation strategiesdirected playback surveyspoint-transect distance sampling surveysoccupancy samplingextinction probability
Type
Research Article
Information
Bird Conservation International , Volume 31 , Issue 3 , September 2021 , pp. 481 - 493
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of BirdLife International

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