NEST SITES, CLUTCH SIZE AND INCUBATION BEHAVIOR IN THE GOLDEN WHITE-EYE

--The Golden White-eye (Cleptornis marchez), a little-known endemic of the Mariana Islands in the western Pacific, nests throughout the year in a variety of forested and semi-open habitats. Data from 11 nests indicate the typical clutch size is two. Incubation at three nests lasted 14 d and the altricial young fledge 10-14 d after hatching. The parents seem to share equally in brooding and rearing tasks during daylight. LUGARES DE ANIDAMIENTO, TAMAI•IO DE LA CAMADA Y CONDUCTA DE INCUBACI(SN DE CLEPTORNIS MARCHEl Sinopsis.--Cleptorms marchei es una especie ndSmica de las Islas Marianas, de la cual se conoce muy poco. E1 ave anida a travis de todo el afio en una gran variedad de habitats forestados y semi-abiertos. E1 tamafio tipico de la camada es de dos huevos (n = 11). En tres nidos estudiados el periodo de incubaci6n result6 set de 14 dias y los pichones, que son altriciales, dejaron el nido de 10 a 14 dias luego de haber nacido. Los adultos parecen compartir de igual forma la incubaci6n y cuidado de los pichones durante las horas diurnas. The Golden White-eye (Cleptornis marchei), is a little known endemic to Saipan and Aguiguan in the Mariana Islands (Fig. 1). It was previously considered an aberrant honeyeater (Meliphagidae), but is now considered a white-eye (Zosteropidae) perhaps related to Rukia (Bruce 1978, Pratt et al. 1987, Sibley and Monroe 1990). Although the Golden White-eye is common in all wooded habitats, the nesting behavior has not been previously described (Craig 1990, Engbring et al. 1986). The Golden White-eye is the most distinctive of several forest bird species that face extinction on Saipan if recent snake sightings are an indication of an incipient population of brown tree snakes (Boiga irregularis) (McCoid and Stinson 1991). The introduced brown tree snake caused the extirpation or extinction of Guam's forest avifauna (nine species; Savidge 1987), and most cargo arriving on Saipan is transhipped through Guam (Fritts 1988). STUDY AREA AND METHODS Saipan, a tropical uplifted coral island of 120 km 2, is the largest in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The vege• To whom all correspondence should be sent.