Bird species lost from the wild for almost 40 years laid first eggs on new island home

Sihek – an endangered bird recently returned to the wild – have laid eggs on their new Pacific island home at Palmyra Atoll, making them the first wild eggs for the species in almost 40 years.

The Sihek Recovery Program, a global collaboration of conservationists dedicated to re-wilding the birds, released nine young Sihek (Guam kingfishers) at The Nature Conservancy’s Palmyra Atoll Preserve in September 2024

The team behind the project are now celebrating as the eggs mark how the birds have flourished since their arrival to the Pacific Atoll, located about 1,000 miles south of Honolulu, Hawaiʻi.

After the release last autumn, the four female and five male birds quickly explored their new home, learning how to forage and hunt new prey within the tropical forest.

Four pairs have since established territories, built nests, and three of the pairs have laid eggs, marking the first time the species has bred in the wild since its extinction from their native island of Guam in the 1980s.

According to Dr. Caitlin Andrews, a bird conservation scientist with The Nature Conservancy’s Island Resilience Strategy and the Zoological Society of London, these eggs demonstrate both the tremendous resilience of these remarkable birds and the power of conservation to create a second chance for species on the brink of extinction. 

“We’re delighted that all nine of the birds are not only surviving on Palmyra Atoll, they’re already starting the next stage of their journey as we work to reestablish a thriving and fully self-sustaining Sihek population in the wild,” Andrews said. “It’s taken years of planning to get to this point, and it’s wonderful seeing their instincts kick in as they’ve been catching geckos and spiders and excavating nests. Their strength provides hope they will one day be back on Guam.” 

With the mated pairs less than a year old, this is their first time incubating and caring for eggs, meaning it’s likely it will take a few rounds of egg laying for the birds to hone their skills and hatch chicks.

Sihek, as the birds are known by the indigenous people of Guam, also known as Guåhan, were decimated when the brown treesnake was accidentally introduced to the island in the 1940s. The last wild Sihek was seen in 1988.

As the population crashed, Guam biologists brought 29 Sihek under human care, starting a conservation breeding program in Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited zoos across the United States.

The nine Sihek released at Palmyra Atoll last fall are the result of a cooperative of institutions who either contributed eggs to be hatched or staff to assist with their care. They include:

• Brookfield Zoo Chicago
• Cincinnati Zoo and Botancial Garden
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom
• National Aviary
• Sedgwick County Zoo
• Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
• Tracy Aviary
• Zoological Society of London’s London and Whipsnade Zoos

Once hatched, the birds were raised by staff members of the cooperative institutions in a purpose-built facility at Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas, where they received expert care until they were mature enough to make the journey to the atoll.

Some of the birds were named in an online voting process and with ongoing care at Palmyra Atoll, the team has become deeply connected with each individual bird.

Yolonda Topasña, the Guam Department of Agriculture Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources Program Coordinator, developed a kinship with one of the birds, Tutuhan, and often envisioned the indigenous people of Guam (the CHamoru) also feeling ancestral pride toward the Sihek.

“A dear friend in Washington, but whose roots run deep on Guåhan (Guam), shared a memory, a vision of Sihek soaring freely over their lancho (farm) in Dededo, in the mid-1970s,” Topasña said. “My friends’ father warned the family to leave Sihek alone and they respected and obeyed. These are the stories that bind us, the whispers of our past that illuminate our present. These conversations are what will bring us all together to celebrate the lives of the Sihek thriving on Palmyra Atoll and in turn, will help us all take pride in our culture and heritage.”

Plans are underway for more young Sihek to be released at Palmyra Atoll this summer, and the ultimate goal is to establish ten breeding pairs there – paving the way for a growing, wild Sihek population for the first time since the 1980s.

Egg laying season is underway at participating Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited institutions across the US. When they grow to maturity, these chicks will also journey to Palmyra, with the ultimate goal of establishing ten breeding pairs there. This project paves the way for a growing, wild Sihek population for the first time since the 1980s.

“It has been the honor of my life to work with the Sihek, who embody the spirit of the CHamoru people, with their incredible resilience and adaptability in the face of adversity,” said Kayla Baker, Senior Bird Conservation Specialist with the Conservancy’s Island Resilience Strategy and the Zoological Society of London. “Seeing the eggs in the nest for the first time left us all with tears in our eyes. Watching these birds show such strong parental instincts gives me great hope that the Sihek will continue to thrive both here on Palmyra Atoll and when they are returned home to Guåhan.”