Guam kingfishers vanished from their home after invasive snakes devastated their species: Now scientists are restoring them with four new chicks

The Guam Kingfisher (sihek) is extinct in the wild after invasive brown tree snakes decimated the island's bird populations.

The last 29 wild sihek were rescued, and four new chicks have been hatched in conservation centers to help rebuild the species.

The birds' absence has caused ecological disruption: spider populations surged and forests thinned due to loss of seed dispersal.

Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Virginia houses the rarest sihek population, with 140 birds remaining globally.

Reintroduction efforts aim to restore the sihek to Guam once the snake threat is controlled.