After decades of being extinct in the wild, the stunning Guam kingfisher, also known as the sihek, has made a remarkable comeback. Through a collaborative conservation effort, these palm-sized birds have been reintroduced to their natural habitat, offering hope for the restoration of Guam’s biodiversity.
The Sihek’s Triumphant Return
An example of this is the sihek, a species of vibrantly blue and cinnamon-coloured bird, which has returned to the wild after being declared extinct in the wild 1988.
Thanks to the work of conservation efforts and zoos acrossthe United States, there are now 127 tagged palm-sized birds outavoid extinction. In late September, six sihek were released into the tropical forests of Palmyra Atoll, a remote Pacific island — an important step in the species’ recovery.
It is a demonstration of sihek resiliency and the steadfast commitment of the Sihek Recovery Program initiative. The birds are bred, incubated and hand-reared behind the scenes in captivity but eventually moved out of their comfortable bubble to this natural reserve where an attempt is made by conservationists to reintroduce a self-sustaining population back into the wild. Finally, these colorful creatures have an opportunity to flourish in their natural environment without the threats that once led them to their extinction.
Guam’s endemic biodiversity is threatened by climate change.
The sihek is a species found only on Guam, so this victory might not be just for the individual animal but a stepping stone towards the preservation of the regions’ vulnerable ecosystem.
Before the arrival of man, Guam’s forests were a thriving jungle and was home to a number of native species, including the sihek. The invasive brown tree snake provided a much greater challenge to the sihek’s survival and it was listed as threatened with extinction under the Guam Endangered Species Act in 1982 and on the U.S. Endangered Species List in 1984.
Being brought back to Palmyra Atoll, one of the few islands on the planet that is free of predators and completely protected, gives the sihek a fighting chance to come back from being hunted to near extinction’ by brown tree snakes. This directly benefits the sihek but also contributes to the recovery of Guam’s very special environment, making habitat conditions more suitable for other native species.
This was determined by the Sihek Recovery Program, which planned to release these birds at Palmyra Atoll as a way to bolster their diminishing ranks in areas identified as optimal for sihek habitat throughout the forest. By offering a refuge for the species, conservationists are providing a path that will hopefully one day lead these sihek back to Guam where they can take their rightful place in the natural mosaic of life on the island.
Conclusion
Pix Word The homecoming of this sihek to the wild is a big thing in conservation. There is hope yet, however — and not just from the tireless efforts at hand by determined organizations such as those which intervened to save the sihek in all its splendour. With the sihek thriving in its new home on Palmyra Atoll, there is hope that the species will someday return to Guam and take back their seat at the table of balance — not just for a bird, but for a community; not just an ecosystem but a way of life built around protection. This story acts as a beautiful reminder to us that too can protect and rejuvenate endangered species globally, when one world stands in unison the seemingly impossible becomes possible.
