For the birds: Disney pitches in for struggling Guam kingfishers
Disney has a role in the attempt to get an almost-extinct species of bird called the Guam kingfisher back home and back on its feet.
Its journey could sound like an animated Disney film: A bird – big-billed and cinnamon-colored with blue wings – is swooped up from its native land and then must depend on far-flung, well-meaning folks to return to its remote island in the Pacific Ocean.
The tale’s villain? Invasive brown tree snakes.
There are about 100 Guam kingfishers living in Association of Zoos and Aquariums institutions worldwide.
“The population is very small, and there are very limited institutions that have the ability to breed and have the expertise,” said Dr. Deidre Fontenot, clinical veterinarian and animal-health operations manager for Disney’s Animal, Science and Environment team.
“This species is extremely territorial, and they don’t do well in large aviary situations, particularly where guests are, because they can dive bomb,” she said. “They protect their territories, and they can be pretty fierce when it comes to taking care of their mates, their territories and their chicks.”
The birds — also known as sihek — typically are about 8 inches tall and weigh 2-3 ounces, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Guam’s kingfisher population was nearly wiped out by brown tree snakes believed to have arrived during World World II. Eventually, the reptiles became so pervasive that they were getting into the homes of islanders and causing electrical blackouts. They also climbed trees and ate nesting birds, decimating all but two species, Fontenot said.
Today, Disney typically houses a few kingfishers in its Avian Research Center, a facility backstage at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It’s far away from the peering eyes of theme park visitors.
“We really typically will only have one or two breeding pairs, and then individuals that will be moved to other institutions for breeding to make sure that we’re doing responsible genetics,” Fontenot said of Disney’s kingfisher flock.
“Even though it’s a very small population, we want to make sure that we’re building the best sustainable population long term,” she said.
Disney is part of a collaboration with the AZA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Nature Conservancy, Zoological Society of London, Guam Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources and other private and public entities.
“Disney’s team has a variety of expertise, everything from we have been breeding the sihek in managed-care environments to our veterinary team and our animal-health team that provides their care when they’re here and also performing what we call a pre-release quarantine and health evaluation,” Fontenot said.
A breeding pair at Disney World laid an egg that later hatched at another AZA facility and is a part of the recent release program in Palmyra Atoll, a U.S. territory south of Hawaii. Two other kingfishers were examined, and final health checks were done at Disney before being flown to another facility in Kansas and then to Palmyra in August.
The atoll could serve as a stepping stone for a return to Guam for kingfishers.
“It has a lot of the same food sources, a lot of the same plants, a lot of the same habitats that are on Guam, and that’s why we feel that the sihek are going to thrive so well in this new environment,” Fontenot said.
Nine birds, after an adjustment period, have been released at Palmyra. They are being tracked using tiny radio transmitter devices by the Nature Conservancy.
“They’ve actually had a couple that have set up the territory, a male and female,” Fontenot said. “And our little guy, our little egg baby – his name is Hinanao now – he has actually gone into that territory and is kind of talking trash to these partners.”
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