Extinct-in-the-wild Guam kingfisher hatches at National Aviary
The aviary announced this week that its breeding center hatched a Guam kingfisher chick from parents Kel and Yomuk.
Three Guam kingfishers that previously hatched at the National Aviary were recently released onto the predator-free island of Palmyra Atoll, about 1,000 miles south of Honolulu, Hawaii, in the Pacific Ocean.
Guam kingfishers haven't been seen in the wild since 1988 after invasive brown tree snakes arrived and decimated the population. About 30 birds were captured and taken to U.S. zoos, where their population has grown.
The aviary is working with the global Sihek Recovery Program to establish a wild population of Guam kingfishers with the hope of returning them home once the threat from brown tree snakes is addressed.
The aviary also shared exciting news from the Atoll. Two of the birds that hatched in Pittsburgh, Mames and Långet, laid a second clutch of three eggs, which the aviary says is very rare in human care populations. It's possible Mames and Långet become the first pair to hatch chicks of their own in the wild.
The aviary says no Guam kingfishers hatched in human care will join those released on Palmyra Atoll this year. Instead, the aviary says it's working to grow a special population for possible deployment in 2026.
The chick, meanwhile, is being cared for behind the scenes. Parents Kel and Yomuk live in the Canary's Call habitat.
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