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• Conservation Glossary

Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands: Guam Bird Rescue Project

Conservation at a Glance

• After WWII, Guam’s birds began disappearing due to predation by brown tree snakes accidentally introduced to the island.
• To save Guam’s endemic bird species from certain extinction, the Philadelphia Zoo partnered with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to form the Guam Bird Rescue Project in 1984.
• The last 29 wild kingfishers and 21 Guam rails were captured and brought to the U.S. for captive breeding.
• All wild kingfishers initially came to the Philadelphia Zoo and Zoo staff continues to manage their breeding program.
• Zoo staff twice traveled to Guam to help with the establishment of their captive breeding program for kingfishers.
• Breeding success in the U.S. produced enough kingfishers that birds were returned to a captive breeding center on Guam in 2003. The first breeding on Guam occurred two years later and if this positive trend continues, we soon hope to reintroduce kingfishers to snake-free portions of the forest of Guam.
• Since 1989, Guam rails have been reintroduced on Guam and nearby Rota.
• In January 2008, one of the Zoo’s educators spent a month teaching school children on Guam and Rota about their endangered wildlife.  The Zoo donated four specially designed wildlife education kits to the schools so teachers can continue to cultivate an appreciation and pride in local wildlife.