Bird
Guam Kingfisher
Todiramphus cinnamominusAlso known as Sihek, Micronesian Kingfisher
Guam kingfishers are fierce sit-and-wait hunters known for excavating cavity nests out of soft rotting wood or arboreal termite mounds using their sturdy, dagger-like bills. Males display brilliant cinnamon-orange plumage on their heads and breasts contrasted against iridescent blue-green wings, while females show creamy white underparts. Entirely extinct in the wild since the late 1980s, the entire surviving population depends on collaborative captive breeding programs aiming for eventual island reintroduction.
Forest BirdCarnivorousCaptive Breeding
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Extinct in the WildConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXExtinct in the WildRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyGeckos, Skinks, Grasshoppers
Predators
- Brown Tree Snake
- Feral Cat
- Monitor Lizard
ThreatsPredation by invasive brown tree snakes, habitat fragmentation, and genetic bottlenecks
HabitatsTropical limestone forests, ravines, and coastal woodlands (historically)
Life span10–15 years in captivity
Classification
- FamilyAlcedinidae
- SpeciesTodiramphus cinnamominus
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
- What to notice
- Look for a heavy black bill, vibrant cinnamon-rufous plumage, and lustrous sea-green wings.
- Support conservation
- Never disturb captive breeding enclosures or flash bright camera lights at resting birds.
Responsible observation
- Facility Etiquette: Observe silently at accredited zoological breeding aviaries to minimize bird stress.
- Support Biosecurity: Back regional invasive predator eradication initiatives on Pacific islands.
Invasive Predator (c) Sockrosma, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Peter, osa oikeuksista pidätetään (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
Close Relative (c) Saryu Mae 前 朝琉, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Saryu Mae 前 朝琉 · cc-by
Close Relative JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/) / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
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