Brown Treesnake Eating a White Tern

A Brown Treesnake (BTS) eating a white tern on northern Guam. This observation was made during ongoing field work to refine snake control strategies in military housing. Snakes are capable of consuming very large prey items, and the snake successfully swallowed the tern. The Department of Defense maintains ongoing BTS interdiction efforts to control the abundance of BTS on military property and minimize the likelihood the snake is accidentally transported off the island of Guam. Due to these interdiction efforts, snake densities are reduced around military housing, which provides some refuge in these areas for a remaining species of native bird (the Micronesian starling). USGS partners with Department of Defense to develop and optimize control strategies in forested and urban locations.