Bridled White-eye / Nosa'
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Bridled White-eye / Nosa'
Zosterops conspicillata conspicillata (Guam subspecies--extinct)
Zosterops conspicillata rotensis (Rota subspecies)
Zosterops conspicillata saypani (Saipan subspecies)
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These tiny yellow-green birds, known in Chamoru as "nossa' ", were once very common throughout Guam. Nossa' got their name from the white ring around their eyes. The Guam subspecies was found only on Guam and nowhere else in the world. They were last seen in 1983 and are now extinct. Predation by the introduced brown tree snake was responsible for this bird's extinction. Other subspecies of the nossa' still occur on Rota, Tinian, and Saipan.
Nossa' were hard birds to see. They were very active, darting quickly from tree limb to tree limb. Their colors helped them blend in with Guam's lush green forest. Often flying in small flocks, nossa' stayed high up in trees and ate mainly insects, berries and other small fruits.
The nest was shaped like a hanging basket and made mostly of grass held together with spider webs. The inner cup was lined with hair or small roots.
Female nossa' laid two to four blue eggs. Both parents sat on the eggs and helped care for the babies. Young nossa' were able to fly as soon as twelve days after hatching.
Guam Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy, 9/27/2005
