Mariana Crow Åga
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Mariana Crow Åga
Corvus kubaryi
The åga, or Mariana Crow, once occurred in most of Guam. Now, only small numbers survive in forests at the northern end of the island.
At one time, farmers used to shoot the åga because it raided corn fields and ate baby chickens. Now there are too few of them to do any damage to farms. Predation by the brown tree snake is responsible for the decline of this species.
Åga sometimes fly in groups for long distances. Some people here believe that if you hear its call, someone is about to become ill. These birds closely guard their territories and will chase and scold you or other birds with a loud "råh" squawk. Åga are social birds and groom each other, by pecking insects off of each other. They are omnivorous, which means they eat both plants and animals, including insects, lizards, flowers and berries. They use their beaks to hammer small chunks of bark from trees to expose and eat the insects.
Åga often nest high in the tops of Elaeocarpus or "yogga' " trees, where they build heavy nests from branches. Both parents build the nest and sit on the eggs. Young åga follow their parents, watching them closely and copying what they do. When they are hungry, they squawk and beg to be fed.
The åga is a special bird that lives only on Guam and Rota, and nowhere else. It is listed on both the federal and local endangered species lists. In 1992, a pair of crows successfully hatched its eggs in a tree that had been snake-proofed by the Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources (DAWR). The DAWR will continue to snake-proof other yogga' trees to allow crows to nest and raise their young without the risk of snake predation. About 50 crows remain on Guam with another 600 to 1,000 crows on Rota.
Guam Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy, 9/27/2005
