Guam kingfisher explained

The Guam kingfisher (Todiramphus cinnamominus) is a species of kingfisher from the United States Territory of Guam. It is restricted to a captive breeding program following its extinction in the wild due primarily to predation by the introduced brown tree snake.

Taxonomy and description

In the indigenous Chamorro language, it is referred to as Chamorro: sihek.[1]

The mysterious extinct Ryūkyū kingfisher, known from a single specimen, is sometimes placed as a subspecies (T. c. miyakoensis; Fry et al. 1992), but was declared invalid by the International Ornithological Congress in 2022, rendering the species monotypic.[2] Among-island differences in morphological, behavioral, and ecological characteristics have been determined sufficient that Micronesian kingfisher populations, of which the Guam kingfisher was considered a subspecies, should be split into separate species.[3]

This is a brilliantly colored, medium-sized kingfisher, in length. They have iridescent blue backs and rusty-cinnamon heads. Adult male Guam kingfishers have cinnamon underparts while females and juveniles are white below. They have large laterally-flattened bills and dark legs. The calls of Micronesian kingfishers are generally raspy chattering.[4]

Behavior

Guam kingfishers were terrestrial forest generalists that tended to be somewhat secretive. The birds nested in cavities excavated from soft-wooded trees and arboreal termitaria, on Guam.[5] Micronesian kingfishers defended permanent territories as breeding pairs and family groups.[6] Both sexes care for young, and some offspring remain with parents for extended periods. Research suggests that thermal environment has the potential to influence reproduction.

Feeding

In the wild, the Guam kingfisher feeds on grasshoppers, skinks, insects, and small crustaceans. The birds dive and capture their prey on the ground, similar to other species of kingfishers that dive for fish in water.[7]

Conservation status

The Guam kingfisher population was extirpated from its native habitat after the introduction of brown tree snakes.[8] It was last seen in the wild in 1986, and the birds are now U.S. listed as endangered. The Guam kingfisher persists as a captive population of fewer than two hundred individuals (as of 2017) in US mainland and Guam breeding facilities. There are plans to reintroduce the Guam birds to Palmyra Atoll, and potentially also back to their native range on Guam if protected areas can be established and the threat of the brown tree snakes is eliminated or better controlled. However, three decades of research and management have yielded little hope for safe habitats on Guam.

In popular culture

In 2023 the Guam kingfisher was featured on a United States Postal Service Forever stamp as part of the Endangered Species set, based on a photograph from Joel Sartore's Photo Ark. The stamp was dedicated at a ceremony at the National Grasslands Visitor Center in Wall, South Dakota.[9]

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Smithsonian Magazine . Jennifer. Zoon. Scientists Are Using 3-D-Printing Technology to Ready Guam Kingfishers for Reintroduction to the Wild . dead . 9 May 2022 . 29 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220529093549/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-zoo/2022/03/02/scientists-using-3d-printing-tech-ready-guam-kingfishers-for-reintroduction-to-wild/ . en.
  2. Web site: IOC World Bird List 12.1 . IOC World Bird List Datasets . en-US . 10.14344/ioc.ml.12.1. 246050277 .
  3. Andersen . Michael J. . Shult . Hannah T. . Cibois . Alice . Thibault . Jean-Claude . Filardi . Christopher E. . Moyle . Robert G. . Rapid diversification and secondary sympatry in Australo-Pacific kingfishers (Aves: Alcedinidae: Todiramphus) . Royal Society Open Science . 2015 . 2 . 2 . 140375 . 10.1098/rsos.140375 . 4448819 . 26064600. 2015RSOS....240375A .
  4. Web site: ECOS: Species Profile . 9 May 2022 . ecos.fws.gov . 20 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220120162859/https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species/6 . live .
  5. Marshall . Samuel D. . 1989 . Nest Sites of the Micronesian Kingfisher on Guam . The Wilson Bulletin . 101 . 3 . 472–477 . 4162756 . 0043-5643 . 9 May 2022 . 9 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220509050520/https://www.jstor.org/stable/4162756 . live .
  6. Kesler . Dylan C. . Lopes . Iara F. . Haig . Susan M. . March 2006 . Sex determination of Pohnpei Micronesian Kingfishers using morphological and molecular genetic techniques . Journal of Field Ornithology . en . 77 . 2 . 229–232 . 10.1111/j.1557-9263.2006.00045.x . 14034258 . 0273-8570 . 16 May 2024 . 6 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230806231344/https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1689&context=usgsstaffpub . live .
  7. Web site: Guam kingfisher (sihek) . 25 April 2024 . Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute . en . 2 May 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200502084450/https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/guam-kingfisher . live .
  8. Savidge . Julie A. . 1987 . Extinction of an Island Forest Avifauna by an Introduced Snake . Ecology . 68 . 3 . 660–668 . 10.2307/1938471 . 1938471 . 1987Ecol...68..660S . 0012-9658 . subscription . 9 May 2022 . 24 September 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210924123343/https://www.jstor.org/stable/1938471 . live .
  9. News: 19 April 2023 . Postal Service Spotlights Endangered Species . United States Postal Service . 11 May 2023 . 11 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230511160200/https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2023/0419ma-postal-service-spotlights-endangered-species.htm . live .

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