Guam rail (ko’ko’) News

Guam rails are small, speedy ground birds who can only fly three to 10 feet at a time. They are also only the second bird in history – after the California condor – to recover from being extinct in the wild. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute is an active participant...

We care for many rare and endangered species here at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, including a little brown bird named Tasi. Tasi is a 4-year-old Guam rail and a marvel, considering that just a few decades ago his species nearly disappeared.

Walking through the forests of Guam the sound is arresting, because it’s silent. But the loud whistle of the Guam rail is returning to the forests of nearby islands, nearly 40 years after the bird was declared extinct in the wild,

As 2019 comes to a close, we’re continuing to reflect on some of this year’s biggest conservation success stories.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute is dedicated to saving species. Every year, its team of conservationists here and around the globe works hard to make that mission a reality — and 2018 was no exception.

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) is experiencing a Guam rail baby boom. Three chicks, covered in black downy feathers with oversized feet, hatched in January. 

Guam rails are classified as extinct in the wild by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, but staff at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) and partners are working to change the birds’ fate. Last September, SCBI deputy director Will Pitt and animal keeper Erica Royer...

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute hatched two Guam rail chicks earlier this month. The hatchings are a boon for the species, which is currently classified as “extinct in the wild” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), although there are small populations that...

Two female Guam rails born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, were released to the wild in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Sept. 18. This month’s release marks the first time since 1985 that there are more Guam rails in the wild than in human...