Bridled white-eye facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bridled white-eye |
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| A wild Saipan white-eye, Z. conspicillatus saypani | |
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| Genus: |
Zosterops
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| Species: |
conspicillatus
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The bridled white-eye (Zosterops conspicillatus) is a small bird. It lives on the Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Its name in the Chamorro is nosa'. These birds like to live in tropical forests, bushy areas, and even in cities.
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About This Bird
Scientists group living things to understand them better. The bridled white-eye is a type of white-eye bird. Some experts think there are two different kinds of bridled white-eyes. They call one the Saipan white-eye. Another bird, the Rota white-eye, was once thought to be a type of bridled white-eye too.
Protecting the Bridled White-Eye
Sadly, one type of bridled white-eye is now extinct. This bird, called Zosterops conspicillatus conspicillatus, lived only on the island of Guam. It disappeared because of the brown tree snake. This snake was brought to Guam by accident. It ate many birds, including the bridled white-eye. The last time anyone saw this bird was in 1983. In 2023, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officially said it was extinct.
The Saipan White-Eye
Another type of bridled white-eye, called Z. conspicillatus saypani, still lives. It is found on the islands of Tinian, Saipan, and Aguijan. These islands are part of the Northern Mariana Islands. Some people call this bird the Saipan white-eye.
This bird is very common on these islands. Surveys in 2007-2008 found between 620,000 and 940,000 birds. About 534,000 of them lived on Saipan alone. In 2010, it was the second most common land bird on Saipan. Its numbers are still stable today.
Helping the Saipan White-Eye
To help protect the Saipan white-eye, some birds were moved. In 2008, a group of them went to the island of Sarigan. This island has no people living on it. By 2016, this new group of birds had grown to over 8,000!
The biggest danger to the Saipan white-eye is still the brown tree snake. If this snake gets to Saipan or Tinian, it could cause big problems. But people are working hard to stop this. They have special teams ready to catch any snakes that appear.
Because of the snake risk, the Saipan white-eye is listed as near threatened. This means it could become endangered in the future. There are also programs at some zoos in the U.S. to breed these birds. This is called a captive breeding program. It helps make sure these birds survive.
