News and Stories

As you may remember, last summer the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s Bird Department played an instrumental role in the Sihek Recovery Project, a ground-breaking translocation initiative that would introduce 9 young Guam kingfishers – also known as sihek – into the wild…for the first time in over 40 years!  Team Bird was happy to represent our Zoo in this project, introducing 3 sihek from Cincinnati Zoo to Palmyra Atoll, a small tract of land south of the Hawaiian Islands with no permanent human population.

The project had its struggles early on with weather delays and then, once the birds arrived on the island, these youngsters spent a little time arguing within their pre-release aviaries.  But no worries, the birds put aside their differences for the sake of the bigger picture…independence.  Over the course of a week or so, after observing each of the birds being able to eat on their own, catching wild prey, and reacting accordingly to weather and other natural conditions, Palmyra staff decided it was time to release the birds from their respective aviaries and send them on their way.

Within the first few weeks in the forest, each of the sihek were beginning to explore their new surroundings with the vigor only a kingfisher could deliver.  With the help of their backpack transmitters, the birds were observed by the team catching and effectively dispatching live native prey like spiders and geckos, travelling to the tops of the tallest trees on the island, and developing and defending individual territories.  Some of the birds were even seen interacting with native sea birds and showing them who the “new kids in town” really were.

For several weeks, the staff on Palmyra was able to enjoy getting to know each of the birds and to track their whereabouts to each of their own spots on the island.  Unfortunately, a little earlier than planned, the tracking for each of them became impossible due to failing transmitter batteries.  No transmitters means no updates and no reliable way to track each individual, making for tense searches in the birds’ typical stomping grounds and relying on vocalizations and routines to even locate them from day to day.  To make matters worse, the plans to recapture each of the birds for final health checks and new transmitter batteries were thwarted by the true nature of a kingfisher…the renegade!  Only two of the 9 birds were able to be recaptured for further data collection, although they are seen and heard regularly.

As sihek staff adjusted and redesigned their plans for 9 mischievious sihek and how to keep track of them, each of the birds continued on their own journeys.  Discovering new places, new prey, new habitats to explore and enjoy.  And then, like clockwork, these birds began finding each other.  Several birds have begun sharing space with new bird friends and a few have even begun excavating behaviors together and exploring various nesting options.  Sihek pairs often excavate multiple nest locations and then decide on their favorite.  So far, all 3 of our Cincinnati Zoo offspring that travelled to Palmyra – Tutuhan, Sindålu, and Fuetsa – have partnered up with potential mates, showing very promising signs of the first sihek reproduction in the wild in decades.

So, what’s up next for the sihek residents of the Cincinnati Zoo?  This nesting season is beginning with nest cavities open for business on March 1^st.  Two new males have joined our crew this year, adding new genetics to the project and therefore increasing the potential viability of the new wild population.  We have high hopes for these new pairs and hope to be able to carry on with our successes of the previous year and continue with this crucial conservation work into the future.