Extinct in the wild birds head to new home ahead of wild release

Nine extinct in the wild sihek – also known as Guam kingfishers - have made an historic flight to their new island home in the Pacific Ocean, ahead of a planned release where they will become the first sihek in the wild since the 1980s.  

The bird species currently only exists in human care, and the Sihek Recovery Program – a project bringing together world-leading conservation experts from across the globe, including from international conservation charity ZSL – was formed to establish and nurture a healthy population of the birds for wild reintroduction.

The arrival of this precious cargo to Palmyra Atoll earlier this week brings the Program one step closer to their goal of establishing a wild population of these rare sapphire and cinnamon feathered birds.  

Why are sihek under threat?

Sihek, as the birds are known by the indigenous CHamoru* people, once flourished on the North Pacific island of Guam. However, the accidental introduction of the brown tree snake to the island in the 1940s decimated sihek and other native bird populations. First listed under the Guam Endangered Species Act in 1982, the sihek was subsequently added to the US Endangered Species List in 1984, and was officially recognised as being extinct in the wild following the last wild sighting in 1988.  

Through an emergency rescue operation of 28 sihek in the 1980s - carried out by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and Guam Department of Agriculture (DOAG) - a small number of sihek were rescued and taken into human care. 127 adults are now kept safe in 25 institutions across members of the AZA and DOAG. The nine birds moving to Palmyra Atoll will be the first to be released to the wild after 36 years.  

Returning a species to the wild

Dr Caitlin Andrews, one of the conservation scientists behind the move and joint researcher at ZSL’s Institute of Zoology and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) said: “The arrival of the birds to Palmyra Atoll is an incredible day that the whole partnership has been working toward for years. We’re all feeling so excited and proud.  

“Returning species to the wild is a long, complex process that requires careful planning and creative solutions. We wouldn’t be here without conservation zoos and the essential role they play in saving species on the brink of extinction, or the decades of restoration work by TNC and its partners allowing Palmyra Atoll to serve as a safe haven for sihek and other wildlife.”

The four female and five male sihek will spend the next few weeks in aviaries within their new forest home at TNC’s preserve and research station, giving them time to acclimatise while the team make the final preparations for their release. Tiny trackers will be fitted to the birds to enable the team to monitor their activity as they settle into their new habitat.

Once the team is confident that the birds are ready for their new life in the wild, they will be released, making them the first wild population of sihek in almost 40 years.  

Yolonda Topasna, DOAG Division of Aquatic and Wildlife (DAWR) Program Coordinator states, “As our beloved sihek – Guam’s kingfisher- journey to Palmyra Atoll, I feel their resilience reflecting our own. But their true home is Guam, just as it is ours. We must bring them back to Guam, for their return is vital to restoring our island’s balance and thriving together.”  

What is the Sihek Recovery Program?

The Sihek Recovery Program is working to establish a wild population of the bird at Palmyra Atoll because it is predator-free and fully protected. Palmyra Atoll is a US Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuge and is further protected—out to 50 nautical miles—by the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, the largest swathe of ocean and islands protected under a single jurisdiction in the world.  TNC maintains a preserve and research station within the refuge. The atoll will provide the sihek a safe, wild home to thrive in and establish breeding , with the end goal of one day returning the species to Guam once the threat from snakes is controlled. 

The nine birds being released were bred as part of a 24-zoo collaborative breeding programme operating across the US. The sihek were raised in a purpose- built biosecurity facility at Sedgwick County Zoo, receiving expert care from specialist bird keepers from seven participating AZA zoos as well as from ZSL’s London and Whipsnade Zoos in the UK. These specialists worked around the clock to feed, weigh and monitor the chicks as they grew from hatchlings weighing no more than a pencil to fully-grown birds ready for their next big step.    

Charlotte James, a bird keeper from London Zoo who helped raised the birds added: “It’s so rewarding to see the birds on the next step of their journey. I worked with them when they were just tiny eggs and featherless chicks - completely dependent on us to feed and care for them – so it’s amazing knowing that they’re not only all grown up and covered in their beautiful blue and orange plumage, but in their new forest home, ready to make history.”  

A monumental milestone for conservation

Scott Newland, President and CEO of Sedgwick County Zoo and the AZA species coordinator for sihek, explained: “This milestone is great proof of what we can achieve with a shared commitment, tenacity and creativity. AZA zoos have dedicated resources and expertise to maintain the sihek population for the last 40 years. Without the efforts of AZA and the hundreds of animal care specialists whose dedication to sihek has been steadfast, this upcoming release would have not been possible.” 

Travelling 7,300km from Wichita, Kansas, to Palmyra Atoll, the birds were accompanied on their 14-hour journey by a wildlife vet from Sedgwick County Zoo and a bird husbandry specialist from Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute – both of whom will be caring for the birds during these final stages – along with representatives from the Guam government.  

These releases will be repeated annually until 20 sihek have successfully established themselves as breeding pairs to one day raise the first wild-born sihek since the 1980s.  

Megan Laut, US Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Program Manager, said: “We have been working with our partners on this effort for years, and we are excited to see this first step toward recovering sihek in the wild. We are growing the worldwide population of sihek while also learning about their behavior in the wild for the first time in over 30 years. What we learn from the birds on Palmyra will only improve the chances of success once it is safe to release birds on Guam.” 

Caitlin added: “We still have some years to go until sihek establish a self-sustaining population, but this is an amazing milestone, and other success stories show us that it is possible. We are hopeful that the Palmyra population will flourish and serve as a stepping stone for sihek on their journey home to Guam someday.”  

_{*CHamoru name is spelt with a capitalised H.}