Nine birds, considered extinct in the wild, have made a historic flight from Wichita to their new island home in the Pacific Ocean. Sihek, also known as Guam kingfishers, 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.
With the bird species currently only found under human care, the arrival of these sihek to The Nature Conservancy’s preserve and research station at Palmyra Atoll earlier this week brings the Sihek Recovery Program one step closer to their ultimate goal of establishing a wild population of these rare sapphire and cinnamon feathered birds. In just a few weeks these birds, who have been raised at the Sedgwick County Zoo, will become the first sihek in the wild since the 1980s.
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 recognized as being extinct in the wild following the last wild sighting in 1988. Scott Newland, President and CEO of Sedgwick County Zoo, is the Association of Zoos and Aquariums species coordinator for sihek.
“This milestone is great proof of what we can achieve with a shared commitment, tenacity and creativity," said Newland. "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.”
127 adult sihek are now kept safe in 25 institutions across the AZA and DOAG. The nine birds moving to Palmyra Atoll will be the first to be released to the wild after 36 years. 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.
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 Zoo in the UK.