The Tinian monarch is a small bird, about 7.5 inches with a tan face, gray head, chocolate-brown back and dark wings that present some white bars. Their song sounds very similar to a squeaky dog toy. The Center for Biological Diversity has recently petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the bird under the Endangered Species Act. Unfortunately, despite looming threats to these birds' only habitat, USFWS has still failed to act!
Between 1996 and 2008 the Tinian monarch population declined by 40% - and currently 2,000 acres of these birds' dwindling habitat is planned to be logged and developed. The Center for Biological Diversity states that “The one and only island these birds call home has a long history of habitat destruction. With a rampant increase in military combat training in their forested habitat, Endangered Species Act protection is critical to prevent the loss of the Tinian monarch.”
Threats to this bird dates back to World War II days, when the birds' habaitat on the South Pacific island of Tinian was cleared for use by the US military. Ms. Easter continues to say that “To save the Tinian monarch, we have to spare its forest home.”
This petition is to demand the USFWS act now and protect the Tinian monarch and its habitat.
