Nine Guam Sihek Released to the Wild

Nine sihek (Guam kingfisher) are now living in the wild in the tropical forests of Palmyra Atoll after spending nearly a month in aviaries at TNC’s Preserve and Research Station at Palmyra Atoll.

Specialists have been caring for the palm-sized birds—four females and five males—since their voyage from Wichita, Kansas to Palmyra Atoll on August 28, 2024. The birds started eating right away, instinctually preened when they experienced their first rainfall and began hunting spiders, geckos and crabs. Once deemed healthy, each bird was fitted with a tiny radio tracker so the project team can monitor their movements as they settle in across the atoll. This release marks the first time since the 1980's these beautiful birds are living in the wild. 

“Our Guam Sihek, a symbol of our island’s beauty, with their cerulean blue and cinnamon coloration mirroring our ocean blue water and red-orange sunsets, have been achieving the seemingly impossible,” says Yolonda Topasna, DOAG Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Program coordinator. “Today, the Sihek were set free from their aviaries! Their return to the wild is a testament to our people’s spirit and our commitment to preserving our heritage.” 

Palmyra Atoll was selected as the inaugural site for sihek to be released to the wild because it is invasive predator-free and fully protected.  The atoll will provide the sihek a safe, wild home to establish a breeding population, with the ultimate goal of one day returning the species to Guam once the threat from snakes is addressed. 

“Palmyra Atoll is an ideal location for rewilding these magnificent birds on their journey back to Guam,” says Alex Wegmann, TNC’s Lead Scientist for Island Resilience. “It is one of the healthiest land and ocean ecosystems on the planet, is free of invasive predators like rats, is carefully studied and monitored, and is fully protected as a national wildlife refuge and TNC preserve. Extensive research shows Palmyra’s forests are ideal for the sihek and that introducing it will have minimal effects on native wildlife there.” 

The Nature Conservancy manages a Preserve and Research Station at Palmyra on Cooper Island and its facilities enable globally significant ocean, coral reef and island research and restoration such as this sihek project. Palmyra Atoll is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuge and is further protected—out to 50 nautical miles—by the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, one of the largest swaths of ocean and islands protected under a single jurisdiction in the world. 

“This is a momentous day that has been decades in the making,” says Professor John Ewen, from ZSL’s Institute of Zoology and Sihek Recovery Program Team Chair. “Wildlife globally is under threat, and the success of seeing these birds fly in the wild once more highlights just how zoos, scientists and conservationists—working with governments and decision-makers—have the power to protect species and take huge steps in bringing them back from the very brink of extinction.”

Sihek are a territorial species, and the project team expects the birds to establish home ranges quickly, which will help with locating and monitoring them. Sihek Recovery Program partners plan to continue supplementing the population annually, with a target of establishing 10 sihek breeding pairs.

This momentous project is the result of years of work by the Sihek Recovery Program, a global collaborative of conservationists dedicated to reestablishing the sihek in the wild for return to its homeland in Guam. The Program includes partners from the: Guam Department of Agriculture’s Division of Aquatic & Wildlife Resources (DOAG), ZSL, The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), Sedgwick County Zoo, Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).   

Topsana added, “I’m sad to not be joining them at this milestone, however, I envision myself speaking CHamoru with them soon! To our Sihek, siempre un li’e’ iyon-måmi tåno’ yan tåsi. Nihi ta fan gumupu ya kumånta i CHamoru na kånta todu i lugåt (you will certainly see our homeland, our sea, and together we will fly and sing CHamoru songs in all places).”

*The CHamoru name is spelled with a capital H. Guam is spelled Guåhan in CHamoru. The CHamoru people refer to the Guam kingfisher as sihek.