Nearly extinct species coming back in wild thanks to Pittsburgh aviary
With the help of two recently hatched chicks, Pittsburgh’s National Aviary has plans to help a bird species that no longer exists in the wild to once again find its way home.
The National Aviary has two baby Guam Kingfishers, known as sihek in the indigenous CHamoru language. The male Guam kingfisher hatched on April 19, while the female hatched on May 12. On May 27, the male chick took his first flight.
Ultimately, the goal is for the pair to travel thousands of miles west as part of a program working toward restoring Guam kingfishers in the wild.
Why is the National Aviary breeding Guam kingfishers?
The National Aviary is part of the Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s Guam kingfisher Species Survival Plan Program.
In the past 10 years, they’ve hatched more than 20 Guam kingfishers in Pittsburgh to support the Sihek Recovery Program, a collaborative effort between conservationists worldwide to reestablish the bird in the wild. Organizations and agencies involved in the program include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Guam Department of Agriculture’s Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources, Zoological Society of London, The Nature Conservancy, Sedgwick County Zoo, Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Where will National Aviary’s Guam kingfishers go when they leave Pittsburgh?
Chicks hatched at the National Aviary travel to the Sedgwick County Zoo in Kansas to be reared to adulthood, according to the aviary’s website.
Mature birds are released at Palmyra Preserve on the island of Palmyra Atoll in the Pacific Ocean about 1,000 miles south of Honolulu. The birds are tracked on the island so researchers can monitor their movement and survival, as well as how they use their habitat.
So far, nine Guam kingfishers have been released on Palmyra Atoll, three of which were hatched and hand-reared at the National Aviary. The birds ‒ a female named Långet, and two males named Mames and Sindålu ‒ made their home on the island with the six other birds in September 2024, marking the first time since 1988 that Guam kingfishers have lived in the wild.
Do Guam kingfishers breed in the wild?
Guam kingfishers have only been living in the wild again since 2024. But in February 2025, the Sihek Recovery Program saw nesting behavior from Mames and Långet, while Sindålu and another female showed bonding behaviors.
Mames and Långet and another pair of kingfishers eventually laid and incubated eggs, and though the eggs were not fertile, it’s a good sign for the future, according to the National Aviary.
How did Guam kingfishers go extinct?
The Guam kingfisher was brought to the edge of extinction because of the brown tree snake, which is invasive in Guam, according to the National Aviary. Biologists rescued 29 of the birds in the late 1980s, preventing their total extinction. The birds have been extinct in the wild for about 40 years.
The birds are gradually being introduced to Palmyra Atoll on a trial basis, where there are no brown tree snakes.
Can I see the National Aviary’s baby Guam kingfishers?
The Guam kingfisher chicks are in the National Aviary’s behind-the-scenes Breeding Center. Numerous other birds can be viewed by guests throughout the aviary.
Tickets to the National Aviary start at $20.95 for adults, while admission for kids ages two to 12 is $17.95. Seniors pay $18.95.