The Guam Micronesian kingfisher (sihek) is endemic to the forest of Guam. Visually striking in appearance, its head and chest is adorned with cinnamon-orange feathers, while bright blue metallic feathers cover its wings and tail. A black streak dashes across its eyes towards the back of its head. Once found throughout Guam, sihek was declared extinct in the wild around 1988 due to the accidental introduction of the predatory brown treesnake.

In 1983, the Guam Bird Rescue Project was initiated by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums in response to the decline of Guam’s native birds. Twenty-nine sihek were brought into captivity by 1988. Today an estimated 152 sihek are being cared for in 25 zoos in the continental United States and at a Guam Department of Agriculture facility.

Chamorro stories were passed down orally throughout the centuries. Some stories were cautionary tales that warned people of the dangers that came with being greedy or prideful. Other stories inspired people to embrace their imperfections and dare to be better. However, almost all Chamorro stories were inspired by the land, fish, and animals that surrounded them.

One Chamorro story recalls Guam’s forest being filled with the songs of forest birds. Among that chorus was the song of the sihek, that was so loud that it could be heard from great distances and those who followed it would get lost in the forest. According to the story, the sihek was once a village woman who wore an orange handkerchief and a blue dress with a white apron. She always loved to talk loudly and cause trouble for the other villagers. However, one day a taotaomo’na (ancestral spirit) became angry with her and turned her into the first sihek, with her clothes becoming the bright feathers of the bird. From that day forward, the unhappy bird would call loudly when people were near.