A Historic Milestone: Bird Species Extinct in the Wild Reintroduced
After 36-Year Zoo Recovery Effort
Brookfield, Ill. — Guam kingfishers (or sihek as the birds are known by the indigenous CHamoru people of Guam) went extinct in the wild due to invasive brown tree snakes introduced to the island during World War II, wiping out many native bird species. A rescue effort was launched in the 1980s to bring 28 sihek (pronounced see-heck) in the care of zoos, including Brookfield Zoo Chicago, with the goal of one day reintroducing the species back into the wild. In a historic first, nine sihek were flown to the Palmyra Atoll and placed in pre-release aviaries on August 28 – the first step in a reintroduction effort.
The Nature Conservancy owns and manages the isolated and uninhabited atoll, a National Wildlife Refuge and part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. Palmyra shares many of Guam's qualities, including similar plants, insects, birds and other wildlife, with one very important exception: the brown tree snake does not exist here, making it a safe site for trialing reintroduction efforts.
For the next several weeks, the birds will acclimate to the environment at The Nature Conservancy’s preserve and research station and demonstrate their ability to catch and eat local prey before the aviary doors are opened and they are released to the wild. Tiny trackers will be fitted to the birds to enable the team to monitor their activity as they settle into their new habitat. The 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.
Among the nine birds released on Palmyra is a male bird named Yayas (pronounced Za-zass like “sass”), who originated at Brookfield Zoo Chicago. The Zoo is home to the largest sihek population in the world with 21 birds in its care. Over the years, it has produced approximately 80 chicks for the recovery effort. The other birds released on Palmyra came from Cincinnati Zoo, Sedgwick County Zoo, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and the National Aviary.
“The release on Palmyra has been many years in the making and we couldn’t be more thrilled. We hope that one day the invasive snake will be eradicated on Guam and we can welcome the birds back to their home island too,” said Cody Hickman, associate director of avian care and conservation at Brookfield Zoo Chicago. “Twenty-five Association of Zoos and Aquariums accredited zoos have been critical partners in helping save this species from extinction.”
Sihek were first listed under the Guam Endangered Species Act in 1982 and subsequently added to the U.S. Endangered Species List in 1984. It was officially recognized as being extinct in the wild following the last wild sighting in 1988.
In the 1980s, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and Guam Department of Agriculture (DOAG) conducted an emergency rescue operation, bringing 28 sihek into human care in hopes of preventing total extinction. Currently, 127 adult Guam siheks are at 25 AZA and DOAG institutions.
The Guam Kingfisher (Sihek) Re-Introduction Project at Brookfield Zoo Chicago is funded in part by the Arthur L. and Elaine V. Johnson Foundation.
The reintroduction effort at Palmyra Atoll is led by the Sihek Recovery Program, a global collaborative of conservationists dedicated to recovering the sihek. The Sihek Recovery Program is made up of partners from the US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), Guam Division of Aquatic and Wildlife, Zoological Society of London, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Sedgwick County Zoo, AZA, and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with support from zoos like Brookfield Zoo Chicago.
Due to the critical nature of the recovery effort, the sihek population at Brookfield Zoo Chicago remains behind-the-scenes.
You can find more information about the Palmyra Atoll reintroduction effort online here.
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*CHamoru name is spelt with a capitalized H.
Photos (credit: Thomas Mangloña/KUAM)
5510: Aerial view of Palmyra Atoll where nine Guam siheks are being released.
5535: The Nature Conservancy staff welcoming the nine Guam siheks to Palmyra Atoll.
5610: The holding habitat on Palmyra Atoll for Yayas, a Guam sihek from Brookfield Zoo Chicago.
5648: Staff carrying the Guam siheks to their holding habitats on Palmyra Atoll where they will be released to the wild.
Yayas: A Guam sihek from Brookfield Zoo Chicago is one of nine individuals to be transferred to Palmyra Atoll for release to the wild. The species has been extinct in the wild since the late 1980s.
About Brookfield Zoo Chicago
Celebrating 90 years as a global leader in animal well-being and conservation, Brookfield Zoo Chicago inspires conservation leadership by igniting emotional connections for people with wildlife and nature, locally and globally. The Zoo is a private nonprofit organization that operates on 235 acres of land owned by the Forest Preserves of Cook County and is home to more than 3,500 animals representing over 500 species, including many of Earth’s most endangered. Brookfield Zoo Chicago was the first zoo in the world to be awarded the Humane Certified™ certification mark for the care and welfare of its animals, is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums and ArbNet. For more information, visit www.brookfieldzoo.org.