PREVIEW

There’s new hope for one of the rarest birds in the world after the birth of the latest sihek chick at Cincinnati Zoo.
The latest chick, part of a breeding programme designed to re-establish the bird in the wild, hatched on 30 May - and is pictured and filmed here.
Zoo staff wrote in a post on Facebook: “We're thrilled to report that another sihek, aka Guam kingfisher, chick has hatched at the Cincinnati Zoo!! This species is extinct in the wild, and this chick will be part of an attempt to re-establish a population on Palmyra Atoll, a Nature Conservancy Preserve and research station. This protected, predator-free island is an ideal location for wild introductions, paving the way for the species' eventual return to Guam.”
Native to Guam, a U.S. island territory in the Western Pacific, the Guam kingfisher, known locally as the sihek, has become a conservation symbol in U.S. zoos.
Once a common sight in Guam’s forests, the sihek’s population dwindled dramatically. By 1988, wild siheks had vanished, a decline that began during World War II. The introduction of the invasive brown tree snake, likely via military cargo, devastated Guam’s native bird populations, which had no defense against this predator. The sihek, alongside other species, succumbed, resulting in an ecological imbalance that also hindered plant reproduction due to the loss of seed-dispersing birds.
Today, Guam faces an infestation of approximately 2 million brown tree snakes, significantly outnumbering its human population. Efforts to eradicate these snakes have been extensive but largely ineffective.
In response, conservationists launched a breeding program in the 1980s, relocating the remaining siheks to U.S. zoos. This initiative aimed to rebuild the sihek population for eventual reintroduction to the wild. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has now formulated a plan to establish an experimental sihek population on Palmyra Atoll, a predator-free island south of Hawaii.
The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden has been integral to this effort. With a history of caring for siheks since 1982, the zoo has successfully bred 28 chicks. Currently, two breeding pairs are housed in a specialized area to ensure their comfort and privacy. Cincinnati Zoo staff oversee behavioral observations, egg incubation, and the transportation of eggs to Sedgwick County Zoo in Kansas, where they are hatched and raised.
In 2023, the first sihek chicks were successfully introduced to Palmyra Atoll. This year, the Cincinnati Zoo’s siheks have produced 10 eggs and 3 chicks, with more expected. The zoo’s bird staff will continue to play a pivotal role in this groundbreaking conservation project.