A series of loud caws distinctive in the midday chatter
I rush to the back of the house and into the jungle
With a camera in hand and searching eyes I see it
The AÌŠga
A glimpse of black feathers among the green leaves
Colored metal bands decorating its legs
It jumps around as if to hide from my prying eyes
A dance to shy away from my attention
Then it stops—gone in the next breath
The shaky footage evidence our fleeting moments together
Momentary appearances reflective of their transient existence
Always gone within the next breath
Until another day
—
The Mariana Crow, locally and more commonly known as AÌŠga, have unfortunately been facing a decline in their population. Listed as critically endangered under the US Endangered Species Act, the remaining population consists of fewer than 200 individuals and is now found only on Rota, after being driven to possible extinction on Guam with the introduction of brown tree snakes.