Guam Kingfisher

Q: Is the Guam kingfisher extinct?

It is extinct in the wild on Guam, but not extinct. The last wild sihek disappeared in 1988, and the species survived only in zoos and a breeding centre on Guam (USFWS). Since September 2024 a small zoo-bred population has lived free on Palmyra Atoll, a snake-free Pacific refuge (Smithsonian's National Zoo).

Q: Why did the Guam kingfisher disappear from Guam?

It was eaten by the invasive brown treesnake. The snake reached Guam by accident, and the island's birds had no defences against a tree-climbing predator. The kingfisher fell from about 3,000 birds in the early 1980s to about 30 by 1986 (Smithsonian's National Zoo).

Q: Why were sihek released on Palmyra Atoll instead of Guam?

Because Guam still has brown treesnakes. Palmyra Atoll is a protected National Wildlife Refuge with no invasive predators, so it can hold a wild population until Guam is safe (USFWS). Nine zoo-bred birds arrived in 2024, and in 2025 three pairs laid the first wild sihek eggs in almost 40 years (The Nature Conservancy).

Q: Does the Guam kingfisher eat fish?

No, it hunts mostly on land. It perches and drops onto grasshoppers, skinks, other insects and small crustaceans on the ground (Smithsonian's National Zoo). On Palmyra the released birds quickly began catching spiders, geckos and crabs (USFWS).

Todiramphus cinnamominus

Guam Kingfisher (Sihek): The Bird Zoos Saved from a Snake

The Guam kingfisher, or sihek in the CHamoru language, is a cinnamon-and-blue kingfisher found only on Guam. An invasive snake wiped it out in the wild by 1988. Zoos kept it alive from 29 rescued birds, and in 2024 zoo-bred sihek were released on snake-free Palmyra Atoll.

Habitat: Limestone and coastal forest, woodland and large gardens on Guam (historic)
Size: About 22 cm long; 50-70 g
Diet: Grasshoppers, skinks, other insects and small crustaceans caught on the ground
Range: Endemic to Guam; introduced population on Palmyra Atoll since 2024
Conservation: Extinct in the Wild (IUCN); US Endangered Species Act since 1984
Authority: Swainson, 1821

Habitat & range

The sihek lived only on Guam in the western Pacific. It used almost every habitat on the island except pure savanna and wetlands, including limestone forest, coastal lowlands, coconut plantations and large wooded gardens (Smithsonian's National Zoo). Similar kingfishers live on Pohnpei and Palau, but they are now treated as separate species, Todiramphus reichenbachii and Todiramphus pelewensis. Since 2024 a small introduced population has lived on Palmyra Atoll, a US National Wildlife Refuge about 1,000 miles south of Hawaii that is free of invasive predators (USFWS; The Nature Conservancy).

Diet & hunting

Unlike many kingfishers, the sihek does not depend on fish. It watches from a perch and drops onto prey on the ground, mainly grasshoppers, skinks and other insects, plus small crustaceans (Smithsonian's National Zoo). On Palmyra the released birds were soon catching spiders, geckos and crabs (USFWS). Pairs dig a nest hole into a rotting tree 3 to 8 m above the ground and usually lay two white eggs. Both parents incubate for 21 to 23 days and feed the chicks, which fledge at about 33 days (Smithsonian's National Zoo).

Lost to the brown treesnake

The brown treesnake was accidentally brought to Guam, and Guam's birds had never lived with a tree-climbing snake. The kingfisher population fell from an estimated 3,000 in the early 1980s to about 30 birds by 1986 (Smithsonian's National Zoo). Between 1984 and 1986, Guam's Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources and zoos of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums caught 29 kingfishers to start a breeding programme. The species has been extinct in the wild since 1988 (Smithsonian's National Zoo; USFWS).

Zoo breeding and the return to the wild

Sihek proved hard to breed. Some parents seemed to mistake their naked newborn chicks for food, and keepers switched from feeding newborn mice to a more natural diet of small lizards and insects (Smithsonian's National Zoo). By 2024 the programme held 127 adult sihek across 25 institutions (USFWS). In 2024, nine young sihek hand-reared at Sedgwick County Zoo, from eggs and chicks supplied by zoos including Brookfield, Cincinnati, Disney's Animal Kingdom and the National Aviary, were flown to Palmyra Atoll. Six were released in September 2024, the first sihek in the wild since the 1980s (USFWS; Smithsonian's National Zoo). In spring 2025, three pairs laid the first wild sihek eggs in almost 40 years (The Nature Conservancy). The long-term goal is to return the bird to Guam once the snakes are controlled.

Fun facts about Guam Kingfisher

Sihek is the bird's name in CHamoru, the language of Guam, and the species is culturally important to the CHamoru people (USFWS).
It is a kingfisher that hunts on land: it pounces on skinks and grasshoppers rather than diving for fish (Smithsonian's National Zoo).
Every sihek alive today descends from 29 birds rescued from Guam in 1984-86 (Smithsonian's National Zoo).
In 2025, sihek on Palmyra Atoll laid the first wild eggs of their species in almost 40 years (The Nature Conservancy).

Guam Kingfisher vs California Condor (zoo rescue comparison)

Both species were taken entirely into human care in the 1980s; the condor is further along, with hundreds back in the wild.

This is a comparison of two zoo rescues, not a fight. The last wild California condor was caught in 1987, leaving 27 birds, and releases began in 1992; at the end of 2025 there were 392 condors in the wild (NPS; USFWS 2025). The sihek was rescued at about the same time, with 29 birds caught in 1984-86, but it has been much harder to breed and its native island still has brown treesnakes (Smithsonian's National Zoo). Its first wild population, on Palmyra Atoll, only began in 2024, so for now the condor's comeback is the bigger one.

Common questions about Guam Kingfisher

Is the Guam kingfisher extinct?

It is extinct in the wild on Guam, but not extinct. The last wild sihek disappeared in 1988, and the species survived only in zoos and a breeding centre on Guam (USFWS). Since September 2024 a small zoo-bred population has lived free on Palmyra Atoll, a snake-free Pacific refuge (Smithsonian's National Zoo).

Why did the Guam kingfisher disappear from Guam?

It was eaten by the invasive brown treesnake. The snake reached Guam by accident, and the island's birds had no defences against a tree-climbing predator. The kingfisher fell from about 3,000 birds in the early 1980s to about 30 by 1986 (Smithsonian's National Zoo).

How many sihek were rescued, and how many are in zoos now?

29 birds were rescued, and the zoo population has grown to more than 100. Guam's wildlife agency and AZA zoos caught 29 kingfishers between 1984 and 1986. By 2024 there were 127 adult sihek across 25 institutions (Smithsonian's National Zoo; USFWS).

Why were sihek released on Palmyra Atoll instead of Guam?

Because Guam still has brown treesnakes. Palmyra Atoll is a protected National Wildlife Refuge with no invasive predators, so it can hold a wild population until Guam is safe (USFWS). Nine zoo-bred birds arrived in 2024, and in 2025 three pairs laid the first wild sihek eggs in almost 40 years (The Nature Conservancy).

Does the Guam kingfisher eat fish?

No, it hunts mostly on land. It perches and drops onto grasshoppers, skinks, other insects and small crustaceans on the ground (Smithsonian's National Zoo). On Palmyra the released birds quickly began catching spiders, geckos and crabs (USFWS).

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