Brown Tree
Snake (Boiga irregularis)
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Photo: USFWS |
Overview
The brown tree snake is a native of eastern
Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, and parts of Australia.
Notorious for hiding in international freight and aircraft,
it arrived on Guam after WW II as a stowaway on cargo ships.
This snake has decimated Guam’s native forest birds,
which evolved in the absence of snake predators, making them
easy prey for the tree snakes. The brown tree snake is a skilled
climber with a voracious appetite for eggs, chicks, and small
birds. Because of it, nine of the 11 species of native forest-dwelling
birds have been extirpated on Guam. Five subspecies of forest
birds were driven to extinction, such as the Rufous Fantail
and Guam Flycatcher. It is estimated to number up to 10,000
per square mile in some Guam forests. The snake is a serious
threat to the Hawaiian Islands, and several have been intercepted
at the Honolulu airport.
Description
Slender, brown snake which can grow 8 –
10 feet long. Nocturnal and arboreal, it hunts for food in
all levels of the forest. Besides birds, it also eats small
mammals and lizards.
Birds Affected
If released on the Hawaiian Islands, this
snake could decimate the remaining endemic forest birds, such
as honey creepers.
Control
An effective control method is not yet
available. Preventing their further spread depends on very
strict cargo checks at all times.
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