Guam rail

The Guam rail (Gallirallus owstoni) (Chamorro name: ko'ko' ) is a flightless bird, endemic to the United States territory of Guam. The Guam rail disappeared from southern Guam in the early 1970s and was extirpated from the entire island by the late 1980s. This species is now being bred in captivity by the Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources on Guam and at some mainland U.S. zoos. Since 1995, more than 100 rails have been introduced on the island of Rota in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in an attempt to establish a wild breeding colony. Although at least one chick resulted from these efforts, predation (largely by feral cats) and accidental deaths have been extremely high. A small number of birds potentially persists.

Background

Nine of the eleven species of native forest-dwelling birds have been extirpated from Guam. Five of these were endemic at the species or subspecies level and are now extinct on Guam. Two of these species, the Guam rail and the Guam kingfisher, are being captively bred in zoos in the hope that they can eventually be released back into the wild. Several other native species exist in precariously small numbers, and their future on Guam is perilous. Most native forest species, including the Guam rail, were virtually extinct when they were listed as threatened or endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1984.

Guam

Guam (ⁱ/ˈɡwɑːm/ or /ˈɡwɒm/; Chamorro: Guåhån; formally the Territory of Guam) is an unincorporated and organized territory of the United States. Located in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, Guam is one of five American territories with an established civilian government. The capital city is Hagåtña, and the most populous city is Dededo. In 2015, 161,785 people were residing on Guam. Guamanians are American citizens by birth. Guam has an area of 544 km² (210 sq mi) and a density of 297/km² (770/sq mi). It is the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands, and the largest island in Micronesia. Among its municipalities, Mongmong-Toto-Maite has the highest density at 1,425/km² (3,691/sq mi) and Inarajan has its lowest density at 46/km² (119/sq mi). The highest point is Mount Lamlam at 406 meters (1,332 ft) above sea-level.

The Chamorros, Guam's indigenous people, settled the island approximately 4,000 years ago. Portuguese-explorer Ferdinand Magellan discovered the island on March 6, 1521. Guam was colonized in 1668 with settlers, like Diego Luis de San Vitores, a Catholic missionary. Between the 1500s and the 1700s, Guam was an important stopover for the Spanish Manila Galleons. During the Spanish–American War, the United States captured Guam on June 21, 1898. Under the Treaty of Paris, Spain ceded Guam to the United States on December 10, 1898. Guam is amongst the seventeen Non-Self-Governing Territories of the United Nations.