Guam kingfisher (sihek) News

Celebrate and look back at some of the groundbreaking achievements made by Smithsonian scientists this year.

Conservation partnership advances the establishment of the first wild population in more than 30 years

The countdown to the Guam kingfisher’s reintroduction to the wild has begun. Before these birds, also called siheks, can soar over the Palmyra Atoll, scientists need to determine which harness materials can carry a tracking device and stand the test of time.

Guam kingfishers are incredibly rare and difficult to breed, so we are thrilled to be closing out the breeding season with four new chicks. This has been our biggest year to date — and one of our busiest!

Breeding season is the most demanding time of year for the bird team at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, but it can also be the most rewarding.

A family meal among prairie dogs, the soothing sounds of a cheetah’s purr and a Pride cake fit for a giant panda. As summer kicks off at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, we’re sharing some moments from June that sparked joy.

In April, animal keepers celebrated the birth of two extinct-in-the-wild Guam kingfisher chicks. Find out more about the new chicks in this update from keeper Erica Royer.

Bird keepers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute are celebrating the arrival of two Guam kingfisher chicks that hatched April 21 and 23. They are the first offspring for 11-month-old father Animu and 2-year-old mother Giha.

From the arrival of adorable chicks to award-winning excellence in animal care, much is brewing behind the scenes at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

Chirping cheetah cubs, a birthday party fit for a gorilla and a Madagascar hedgehog tenrec indulging in some self-care with a dust bath—all of these events (and more) made for an eventful month.

There are only 135 Guam kingfishers in the world, but scientists around the world are working to change that by breeding the species for release in the near future.

As an animal keeper at SCBI, some of my favorite birds to work with are small but sassy. Guam kingfishers certainly fall into this category. We have three pairs to introduce during this year's breeding season, so we have our work cut out for us.

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

A tiny egg nestled in an incubator at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute began wiggling and cracking April 22 until a featherless Guam kingfisher chick emerged. Guam kingfishers are extinct in the wild and only approximately 140 live in human care, making every chick extremely precious.

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.

A female Guam kingfisher, a brightly colored bird and one of the most endangered bird species on the planet, hatched at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in Front Royal, Virginia, May 17.

A female Guam kingfisher, one of the planet's most endangered bird species, hatched at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute on May 17.